EPIC 201170410.02

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

EPIC 201170410.02 is a confirmed terrestrial exoplanet orbiting the star EPIC 201170410, located approximately 437 light-years (134 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2020 by K2 using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.1159% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.047 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 1.15 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 5.52 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.05 g⊕ (10.3 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 11.7 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around EPIC 201170410, EPIC 201170410.02 completes one full revolution every 6.799 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.0349 AU (an ultra-close orbit less than one-seventh of Mercury's 0.387 AU distance from the Sun, where strong stellar tidal forces typically induce synchronous rotation). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 55.8 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The orbit is modeled as circular (e = 0.00), maintaining a constant stellar distance throughout its year.

⚠️ Thermal Regime (Irradiated / Hot Zone): At an equilibrium temperature of 500 K (+227°C / +441°F) and receiving 10.34 S⊕ (~14,067 W/m²), EPIC 201170410.02 orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star EPIC 201170410 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 3,648 K, a radius of 0.282 R☉, a mass of 0.287 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.013 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.048 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, EPIC 201170410 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 17.698 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Southern celestial hemisphere.

Discovery Facility: K2 · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).