K2-165 b
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
K2-165 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star K2-165, located approximately 439 light-years (134.59 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2018 by K2 using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0211% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.274 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 2.17 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 5.79 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.34 g⊕ (13.14 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 14.6 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around K2-165, K2-165 b completes one full revolution every 2.355 Earth days.
ℹ️ Thermal & Atmospheric Regime: Current photometric and spectroscopic constraints for K2-165 b place it outside the conservative habitable zone definition pending further atmospheric characterization.
The host star K2-165 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,185 K, a radius of 0.8038 R☉, a mass of 0.8348 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.419 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.05 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, K2-165 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 11.332 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere. The K2-165 system is a multi-planet architecture hosting 3 confirmed worlds, with K2-165 b sharing its stellar neighborhood alongside K2-165 c, K2-165 d.
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 | K2-165 |
| Spectral Type | Unclassified |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 5,185 K |
| Stellar Radius | 0.8038 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 0.8348 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 0.419 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | -0.050 dex |
| Stellar Age | — |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 11.332 · G: 11.327 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 3 Planets |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | — |
| Orbital Period | 2.355 days |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | Circular (0.00) |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 87.0828° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 5.79 g/cm³ (14.6 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | — |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 439.000 LY (134.591 pc) |