High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! HD 40307 b is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star HD 40307, located 42 light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Pictor. The planet was discovered by the radial velocity method, using the HARPS apparatus, in June 2008; it is the smallest of three "Super-Earths", planets somewhat larger than the Earth, discovered orbiting the star. The planet is of interest as this star has relatively low metallicity, supporting a hypothesis that different metallicities in protostars determine what kind of planets they will form.