K2-102 b
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
K2-102 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star K2-102, located approximately 613.7 light-years (188.18 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by K2 using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0282% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.3 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 2.24 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 5.62 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.33 g⊕ (13.04 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 14.7 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around K2-102, K2-102 b completes one full revolution every 9.916 Earth days. Its moderate orbital eccentricity of e = 0.1 driving measurable seasonal insolation cycles.
ℹ️ Thermal & Atmospheric Regime: Current photometric and spectroscopic constraints for K2-102 b place it outside the conservative habitable zone definition pending further atmospheric characterization.
The host star K2-102 is classified as an orange K-type star of spectral type K5 with an effective photospheric temperature of 4,695 K, a radius of 0.71 R☉, a mass of 0.77 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.22 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 0.79 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.14 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, K2-102 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 13.083 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.
Methodology: Computed using the Schulze-Makuch et al. (2011) weighted metric comparing physical interior (radius, estimated density) and surface thermal regime (escape velocity, equilibrium temperature).
Discovery Facility: K2 · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).
☀️ Host Star Telemetry
| Host Star Name | K2-102 |
| Spectral Type | K5 |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 4,695 K |
| Stellar Radius | 0.7100 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 0.7700 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 0.22 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.140 dex |
| Stellar Age | 0.790 Gyr |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 13.083 · G: 12.847 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 1 Planet |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | — |
| Orbital Period | 9.916 days |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | 0.10000 |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 89.0000° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 5.62 g/cm³ (14.7 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | — |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 613.700 LY (188.175 pc) |