We consider the high eccentricity , 0.66 , of the newly discovered planet around 16 Cyg B , using the fact that the parent star is part of a wide binary .
We show that the high eccentricity of the planet could be the result of tidal forces exerted on 16 Cyg B and its planet by 16 Cyg A , the distant companion in the system .
By following stellar triple systems with parameters similar to those of 16 Cyg , we have established that the orbital eccentricity of the planet could have gone through strong modulation , with an amplitude of 0.8 or even larger , with typical timescale of tens of millions years .

The amplitude of the planet eccentricity strongly depends on the relative inclination between the plane of motion of the planet and that of the wide binary 16 Cyg AB .
To account for the present eccentricity of the planet we have to assume that the angle between the two planes of motion is large , at least 60 ^ { \circ } .
We argue that this assumption is reasonable for wide binaries like 16 Cyg AB .