Kepler-1652b

Kepler-1652b (also known by its Kepler Objects of Interest

designation KOI-2626.01) is a super-Earth exoplanet, orbiting
Kepler-1652b
within the habitable zone of the red dwarf Kepler-1652 about 822 Discovery
light-years away in the Cygnus constellation. Discovered by Discovered by Kepler
NASA's Kepler spacecraft, Kepler-1652b was first announced as a
spacecraft
candidate in 2013, but wasn't validated until four years later in
Torres et al.
2017. It is a potential super-Earth with 160% Earth's radius. The
planet orbits well within the habitable zone of its system, the Discovery date 3 November
region where liquid water can exist on a planet's surface.[1] The 2017
planet is an eyeball planet candidate.[2] (confirmed)
Detection Transit
Characteristics method
Orbital characteristics
Semi-major axis +0.0042
0.1654 −0.0075
Mass, radius, and temperature
AU
Kepler-1652b, like almost all of Kepler's known exoplanets, was Eccentricity ~0
found with the transit method, where a planet blocks a tiny fraction Orbital period 38.09722 (±
of its host star's light when it passed between the star and Earth's (sidereal) 0.00021) d
line of sight. As a result, the only well-established parameter is its
Inclination +0.0042
radius. Based on the size of the star and the amount of light 89.9927 −0.1432
blocked, Kepler-1652b has a radius of 1.60 R🜨, within the super- Star Kepler-1652
Earth range between the sizes of Earth and the ice giants Uranus (KOI-2626)
and Neptune. Usually, the transition between rocky Super-Earths
and gaseous Mini-Neptunes is expected to be at 1.6 R🜨, which Physical characteristics
would suggest that Kepler-1652b may be a small ice giant or Mean radius 1.60 (± 0.18)
ocean planet. Kepler-1652b has an equilibrium temperature of R🜨
268 K (−5 °C; 23 °F), similar to Earth's at 255 K (−18 °C; Temperature 268 K (−5 °C;
−1 °F).[1] 23 °F)

Orbit

Kepler-1652b has an orbital period of 38.1 days, over 9 times shorter than Earth's year of 365 days. It has a
semi-major axis, or average orbital radius, of 0.1654 AU, also much lower than Earth's. Despite its close
proximity to the star, Kepler-1652b is still temperate, due to how small Kepler-1652 is compared to the
Sun. The planet's eccentricity is believed to be near or at 0.[1]

Host star
Kepler-1652b orbits the red dwarf star Kepler-1652, also designated KOI-2626. It is 0.404 times the mass
and 0.382 times the radius of the Sun, with a temperature of 3638 K and an age of 3.2 billion years. For
comparison, the Sun has a temperature of 5778 K and is 4.5 billion years old. Kepler-1652 is about 1.6 to
2.6% as luminous as the Sun.[1] The apparent magnitude of the star is 10.22.[3]

Habitability
Kepler-1652b's placement within the habitable zone does not ensure its habitability. Multiple other factors
are included, such as composition, atmosphere, and the amount of radiation the planet receives. Kepler-
1652b has a temperature very similar to that of Earth, and gets about 81% the sunlight Earth does. This
places it well within the conservative habitable zone and means it is unlikely to suffer a runaway
greenhouse effect. While the planet is most likely tidally locked to its host star, which would create one hot
side and one cold side, a thick atmosphere - if one exists - can distribute heat evenly around the planet,
allowing for more areas to retain liquid water.

The high radius of Kepler-1652b decreases its chances of habitability. Most planets with radii of ≥1.6R🜨
are expected to either be entirely covered in thick oceans or be more akin to the ice giants like Uranus or
Neptune. Without a rocky surface, life may never be able to develop on a planet. Red dwarfs like Kepler-
1652 can produce very strong flares, much more powerful than what the Sun produces, which could erode
away the atmosphere of orbiting planets, compromising their habitability. While not all red dwarfs are this
active, a strong magnetic field can still help keep the worst of the host star's radiation from reaching the
planetary surface, protecting any possible life.

See also
K2-3d and LHS 1140 b, two other high-density potentially habitable planets.
Mega-Earth
Habitability of red dwarf systems

References
1. Torres, Guillermo; Kane, Stephen R.; Rowe, Jason F.; Batalha, Natalie M.; Henze,
Christopher E.; Ciardi, David R.; Barclay, Thomas; Borucki, William J.; Buchhave, Lars A.;
Crepp, Justin R.; Everett, Mark E.; Horch, Elliott P.; Howard, Andrew W.; Howell, Steve B.;
Isaacson, Howard T.; Jenkins, Jon M.; Latham, David W.; Petigura, Erik A.; Quintana, Elisa
V. (2017). "Validation of SmallKepler Transiting Planet Candidates in or near the Habitable
Zone" (https://doi.org/10.3847%2F1538-3881%2Faa984b). The Astronomical Journal. 154
(6): 264. arXiv:1711.01267 (https://arxiv.org/abs/1711.01267). Bibcode:2017AJ....154..264T
(https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AJ....154..264T). doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa984b (htt
ps://doi.org/10.3847%2F1538-3881%2Faa984b). S2CID 73678176 (https://api.semanticsch
olar.org/CorpusID:73678176).
2. Tasker, Elizabeth (2017-09-07). The Planet Factory: Exoplanets and the Search for a
Second Earth (https://books.google.com/books?id=nflQDQAAQBAJ). Bloomsbury
Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4729-1775-1.
3. "The Extrasolar Planet Encyclopaedia — Kepler-1652b" (http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/kepler-
1652_b/).

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kepler-1652b&oldid=1180536859"