LHS 3154 b
exoplanet in the constellation Hercules
LHS 3154 b is a Neptune-sized exoplanet orbiting the red dwarf LHS 3154. It is located about 50 light-years from Earth, in the constellation of Hercules. As it is a massive planet that orbits very close to a low-mass star, it is challenging current models about exoplanet formation, as it would require 10 times more mass than there was in the protoplanetary disk where the planet formed.
Characteristics
LHS 3154 b is a Neptune-like exoplanet with a minimum mass of 13.2 M🜨 and an estimated radius of 3.65 R🜨. It orbits its parent star at a distance of 0.02262 astronomical units (3,384,000 km), and completes one revolution every 3 days and 17 hours.
Importance
The discovery of LHS 3154 b raises doubts about the formation of planets, challenging current planetary models, because such a massive planet (13.2 M🜨) was not expected to orbit such a small star, with just a ninth the mass of the Sun, and currently it is the only short-period Neptune-mass planet to orbit a low mass star. Although there are more massive exoplanets orbiting red dwarfs, such as TZ Arietis b and GJ 3512 b, they have wide orbits, with periods longer than 200 days, and likely formed in a different way than LHS 3154 b (core accretion), such as gravitational instability within a massive gaseous outer disk.
One of the ways in which planets form is through core accretion, where they form from initial cores that accrete dust and gas. Planets formed from core accretion orbiting low-mass stars should have a maximum mass of 5 M🜨. LHS 3154 b, however, with a minimum mass of 13 M🜨, presents a challenge to this theory.
The public source identifies “LHS 3154 b” as exoplanet in the constellation Hercules. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around exoplanet, constellation and Hercules.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “LHS 3154 b”, the useful work is to connect “exoplanet in the constellation Hercules” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q117422539. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “LHS 3154 b”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow LHS 3154 b primary sources, LHS 3154 b archive and exoplanet research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “LHS 3154 b”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “LHS 3154 b” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.