HIP 38594: A Nearby Red Dwarf and Its Two Known Planets

HIP 38594 is a star 58 light-years away with a spectral type of M0, placing it among the small, cool red dwarfs. Its mass is 0.609 solar masses and its radius is 0.627 solar radii, both smaller than the Sun's corresponding values, while its temperature of 3970 K is cooler than the Sun's. Two planets are known to orbit this host.

Both planets were discovered in 2020 using the radial velocity method, which detects the gravitational wobble a planet induces in its star's motion; repeated wobbles reveal the planet and its orbital period. HIP 38594 b has a minimum mass of 8.1 Earth masses and an orbital period of 60.7 days, giving it the shortest year among the listed planets. HIP 38594 c has a minimum mass of 48.4 Earth masses and an orbital period of 3480 days, the longest year among the listed planets. Of the two, HIP 38594 b has the smallest minimum mass and HIP 38594 c the largest, and both minimum masses are larger than Earth's. The companion star's properties are not represented in these figures, which describe the host alone.