Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Geoffrey W. Marcy et al. [1] |
Discovery date | February 2014 (announced) [1] |
Transit method | |
Designations | |
KIC 3544595 b, KOI-69.01, BD+38 3583b, TYC 3134-218-1 b [2] | |
Orbital characteristics | |
0.053±0.002 [3] AU | |
Eccentricity | 0 |
4.72673978±0.0000009 [4] d | |
Inclination | 89.183±0.044 [3] |
Star | Kepler-93 |
Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 1.478±0.019 [4] R🜨 |
Mass | 4.02±0.68 [3] ME |
Mean density | 6.88±1.18 g/cm3 [3] |
Temperature | 1037±13 K [4] (equilibrium) |
Kepler-93b ( KOI-69b) is a hot, dense transiting Super-Earth exoplanet located approximately 314 light-years (96.18 parsecs) [2] away in the constellation of Lyra [5] [6] , orbiting the G-type star [5] Kepler-93. Its discovery was announced in February 2014 by American astronomer Geoffrey Marcy and his team [1] . In July 2014, its radius was determined with a mere 1.3% margin of error, the most precise measurement ever made for an exoplanet's radius at the time [7] .
The planet has a radius of around 1.478 R🜨 (9,416 km), with an uncertainty of just 0.019 R🜨 (121 km) [4] , making it the most precisely measured exoplanet ever in terms of radius as of July 2014 [7] . The planet is substantially denser than Earth at 6.88±1.18 g/cm3 [3] thanks to its high mass of roughly 4 ME, consistent with a rocky composition of iron and magnesium silicate [3] .
Based on these findings, the interior of the planet is likely similar to that of Earth and Venus, with an iron core making up around 26% of its total mass (albeit with a large uncertainty of ±20%) [8] , compared to the 32.5 ± 0.1% of Earth and 31 ± 1% of Venus [8] .
The planet orbits its host star every 4.73 days [4] at a distance of 0.053 AU (7,900,000 km) [3] , less than one-seventh the radius of Mercury's orbit. Its equilibrium temperature is approximately 1,037 K (764 °C; 1,407 °F) [4] , which is nearly as hot as lava and hot enough to melt aluminium.
The planet orbits a Sun-like (spectral type G5V) [5] star named Kepler-93. The star has a mass of 0.911 M☉ and a radius of 0.919 R☉. It has a temperature of 5,669 K (5,396 °C; 9,745 °F) and is 6.6 billion years old [4] . In comparison, the Sun is 4.6 billion years old [9] , has a temperature of 5,772 K (5,499 °C; 9,930 °F) and a spectral type of G2V [10] . The apparent magnitude of the star is 9.931 [3] , making it too dim to be visible from Earth by the naked eye.
The star is host to an additional non-transiting confirmed companion, Kepler-93c, which was discovered using the radial-velocity method and announced in 2014, concurrently with Kepler-93b [1] . The object is most likely a super-Jupiter planet orbiting much farther out than Kepler-93b, though its precise nature remains uncertain: the discovery paper reported a minimum mass of 3 MJ and a minimal orbital period of 1,460 days (4.0 years) [1] , while a subsequent study in 2015 weighed the planet at >8.5 MJ and presented an orbital period of >10 years, placing its orbit beyond 4.5 AU from the star [3] .
An exomoon or extrasolar moon is a natural satellite that orbits an exoplanet or other non-stellar extrasolar body.
A Super-Earth is a type of exoplanet with a mass higher than Earth's, but substantially below those of the Solar System's ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, which are 14.5 and 17 times Earth's, respectively. The term "super-Earth" refers only to the mass of the planet, and so does not imply anything about the surface conditions or habitability. The alternative term "gas dwarfs" may be more accurate for those at the higher end of the mass scale, although "mini-Neptunes" is a more common term.
This page describes exoplanet orbital and physical parameters.
Kepler-10, formerly known as KOI-72, is a Sun-like star in the constellation of Draco that lies 607 light-years from Earth. Kepler-10 was targeted by NASA's Kepler spacecraft, as it was seen as the first star identified by the Kepler mission that could be a possible host to a small, transiting exoplanet. The star is slightly less massive, slightly larger, and slightly cooler than the Sun; at an estimated 11.9 billion years in age, Kepler-10 is 2.3 times the age of the Sun.
Kepler-80, also known as KOI-500, is a red dwarf star of the spectral type M0V. This stellar classification places Kepler-80 among the very common, cool, class M stars that are still within their main evolutionary stage, known as the main sequence. Kepler-80, like other red dwarf stars, is smaller than the Sun, and it has both radius, mass, temperatures, and luminosity lower than that of our own star. Kepler-80 is found approximately 1,223 light years from the Solar System, in the stellar constellation Cygnus, also known as the Swan.
Kepler-69c is a confirmed super-Earth extrasolar planet, likely rocky, orbiting the Sun-like star Kepler-69, the outermore of two such planets discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft. It is located about 2,430 light-years from Earth.
Kepler-32 is an M-type main sequence star located about 1053 light years from Earth, in the constellation of Cygnus. Discovered in January 2012 by the Kepler spacecraft, it shows a 0.58 ± 0.05 solar mass (M☉), a 0.53 ± 0.04 solar radius (R☉), and temperature of 3900.0 K, making it half the mass and radius of the Sun, two-thirds its temperature and 5% its luminosity.
Kepler-78b is an exoplanet orbiting around the star Kepler-78. At the time of its discovery, it was the exoplanet most similar to Earth in terms of mass, radius, and mean density.
Kepler-138, also known as KOI-314, is a red dwarf located in the constellation Lyra, 219 light years from Earth. It is located within the field of vision of the Kepler spacecraft, the satellite that NASA's Kepler Mission used to detect planets transiting their stars.
Kepler-438b is a confirmed near-Earth-sized exoplanet. It is likely rocky. It orbits on the inner edge of the habitable zone of a red dwarf, Kepler-438, about 472.9 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. It receives 1.4 times our solar flux. The planet was discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured. NASA announced the confirmation of the exoplanet on 6 January 2015.
Kepler-296e is a confirmed super-Earth exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of Kepler-296. The planet was discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured. NASA announced the discovery of the exoplanet on 26 February 2014.
Kepler-296f is a confirmed super-Earth exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of Kepler-296. The planet was discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured. NASA announced the discovery of the exoplanet on 26 February 2014.
KOI-256 is a double star located in the constellation Cygnus approximately 575 light-years (176 pc) from Earth. While observations by the Kepler spacecraft suggested the system contained a gas giant exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf, later studies determined that KOI-256 was a binary system composed of the red dwarf orbiting a white dwarf.
Kepler-419c is a super-Jupiter exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of the star Kepler-419, the outermost of two such planets discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft. It is located about 3,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. The exoplanet was found by using the transit timing variation method, in which the variations of transit data from an exoplanet are studied to reveal a more distant companion.
Kepler-89e, also known as KOI-94e, is an exoplanet in the constellation of Cygnus. It orbits Kepler-89.
Kepler-1520b, is a confirmed exoplanet orbiting the K-type main sequence star Kepler-1520. It is located about 2,020 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus. The exoplanet was found by using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured. The planet was previously proposed in 2012 when reports of its host star recorded drops in its luminosity varying from 0.2% to 1.3%, which indicated a possible planetary companion rapidly disintegrating. In 2015, the planetary nature of the cause of the dips was finally verified. It is expected to disintegrate in about 40–400 million years.
Kepler-419b is a hot Jupiter exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-419, the outermost of two such planets discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft. It is located about 3,400 light-years (1040 parsecs from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.
Kepler-167 is a K-type main-sequence star located about 1,119 light-years (343 pc) away from the Solar System in the constellation of Cygnus. The star has about 78% the mass and 75% the radius of the Sun, and a temperature of 4,884 K. It hosts a system of four known exoplanets. There is also a companion red dwarf star at a separation of about 700 AU, with an estimated orbital period of over 15,000 years.