HD 63454
A K-type star with a hot Jupiter discovered on Valentine’s Day 2005.
HD 63454, also known as Ceibo, is a star in the southern constellation Chamaeleon, close to the border with Mensa. It is too faint to see without a small telescope, with an apparent magnitude of 9.36. Based on Gaia DR3 parallax data, it lies about 123 light-years away and is moving away from Earth at a measured radial velocity. Interstellar dust dims its brightness by about 0.2 magnitudes at that distance. Its absolute magnitude is +6.68.
The star is classified as K3 V(k), a K-type main-sequence star with some infilling in its calcium K and H lines. It has 80% of the Sun’s mass and radius, and radiates 28.7% of the Sun’s luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature that gives it an orange color. Its metallicity matches the Sun’s, and it is roughly one billion years old—about a third the age of the Sun. It rotates slowly, with a projected rotational velocity.
A hot Jupiter exoplanet, HD 63454 b, was discovered around this star on Valentine’s Day 2005 by Claire Moutou, Michel Mayor, and François Bouchy using the radial velocity method. Following the IAU100 NameExoWorlds campaign in 2019, the International Astronomical Union approved names proposed from Uruguay: Ceibo for the star and Ibirapitá for the planet, after the native trees Erythrina crista-galli and Peltophorum dubium. These names were announced on 17 December 2019 at an IAU press conference in Paris, along with 111 other sets of exoplanets and host stars. The proposal came from Adrián Basedas of the Astronomical Observatory of Liceo Nº9 in Montevideo, Uruguay, who won the national contest "Nombra Tu Exoplaneta."
Quick Facts
- Constellation
- Chamaeleon
- Apparent magnitude
- 9.36
- Distance
- 123 light-years
- Spectral type
- K3 V(k)
- Mass
- 80% of the Sun
- Luminosity
- 28.7% of the Sun
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
HD 63454 has a stellar classification of K3 V(k), indicating it is a K-type main-sequence star with some infilling of the calcium K and H lines. It has 80% the mass of the Sun and 80% the Sun's radius, radiating 28.7% the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature that gives it an orange hue. The star has solar metallicity and is estimated to be about one billion years old, a third the age of the Sun. It spins modestly with a projected rotational velocity that is not specified in the available data.
On Valentine’s Day 2005, a hot Jupiter named HD 63454 b was discovered by Claire Moutou, Michel Mayor, and François Bouchy using the radial velocity method. After the 2019 IAU100 NameExoWorlds campaign, the International Astronomical Union approved the names proposed from Uruguay: Ceibo for the star and Ibirapitá for the planet, after the native Uruguayan tree species Erythrina crista-galli and Peltophorum dubium. These names were announced on 17 December 2019 at a press conference of the IAU in Paris, together with 111 other sets of exoplanets and host stars. The names were proposed by Adrián Basedas from the Astronomical Observatory of Liceo Nº9, Montevideo, Uruguay, who won the national contest 'Nombra Tu Exoplaneta' organized in Uruguay.
Reader's Guide
HD 63454 (Ceibo) holds significance as a relatively nearby K-type star that hosts a hot Jupiter discovered in 2005, contributing to the early catalog of exoplanets found via radial velocity. Its planetary system gained cultural recognition through the IAU100 NameExoWorlds campaign, where Uruguay selected the names Ceibo and Ibirapitá, linking the star to native tree species. The star's properties—80% solar mass and radius, 28.7% solar luminosity, and an age of about one billion years—place it as a typical K-dwarf, useful for comparative studies of stellar evolution and planetary system formation. Its discovery by Claire Moutou, Michel Mayor, and François Bouchy on Valentine’s Day 2005 adds a human-interest element to its scientific legacy. The star's location in Chamaeleon near Mensa and its faint apparent magnitude of 9.36 require a small telescope for observation, and its brightness is diminished by interstellar dust by two tenths of a magnitude. The naming contest, won by Adrián Basedas, highlights public engagement in astronomy. Overall, Ceibo represents a blend of exoplanetary science and cultural heritage, with its planet Ibirapitá serving as a reminder of the diversity of planetary systems around low-mass stars.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see Ceibo without a telescope?
No—its apparent magnitude of 9.36 places it well below the naked-eye limit, so even a small telescope is needed to spot it. Interstellar dust along the line of sight further mutes its light by about 0.2 magnitudes.
What are Ceibo's basic physical properties?
The star has a spectral type of K3 V(k), meaning it is a cool orange dwarf with slightly anomalous calcium K and H absorption-line infilling. It possesses roughly 80 percent of the Sun's mass and 80 percent of the Sun's radius, giving it an absolute magnitude of +6.68.
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