K2-169 b
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
K2-169 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star K2-169, located approximately 769.3 light-years (235.87 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2018 by K2 using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0161% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.273 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 2.16 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 5.77 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 14.6 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around K2-169, K2-169 b completes one full revolution every 6.381 Earth days.
ℹ️ Thermal & Atmospheric Regime: Current photometric and spectroscopic constraints for K2-169 b place it outside the conservative habitable zone definition pending further atmospheric characterization.
The host star K2-169 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,548 K, a radius of 0.9191 R☉, a mass of 0.9861 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.718 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.26 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, K2-169 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 12.23 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Southern 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 | K2-169 |
| Spectral Type | Unclassified |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 5,548 K |
| Stellar Radius | 0.9191 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 0.9861 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 0.718 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.260 dex |
| Stellar Age | — |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 12.230 · G: 12.006 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 1 Planet |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | — |
| Orbital Period | 6.381 days |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | Circular (0.00) |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 87.8366° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 5.77 g/cm³ (14.6 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | — |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 769.300 LY (235.867 pc) |