14 Herculis


14 Herculis or 14 Her is the Flamsteed designation of a K-type main-sequence star approximately 58.5 light-years away in the constellation Hercules. Because of its apparent magnitude, the star cannot be seen with the naked eye. As of 2006, it is thought that 14 Herculis has two extrasolar planets in orbit around the star.

Stellar components

14 Herculis is an orange dwarf star of the spectral type K0V. It is thought that the star has 90 percent of the mass, 71 percent of the radius, and only 36 percent of the luminosity of the Sun. The star appears to be 2.7 times as enriched with elements heavier than hydrogen, in comparison to the Sun. It may be most metal rich star as known in 2001.

Planetary system

In 1998 a planet was discovered orbiting 14 Herculis. The planet's eccentric orbital period is 4.8 years. In 2005, a possible second planet was proposed, designated 14 Herculis c. The parameters of this planet are uncertain, but a recent analysis suggests it may lie in the 4:1 resonance with the inner planet, with an orbital period of almost 19 years at an orbital distance of 6.9 AU.