K2-170 b
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
K2-170 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star K2-170, located approximately 1281.4 light-years (392.87 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2018 by K2 using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0175% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.418 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 2.6 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 5.03 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.29 g⊕ (12.65 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 15.1 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around K2-170, K2-170 b completes one full revolution every 7.577 Earth days.
ℹ️ Thermal & Atmospheric Regime: Current photometric and spectroscopic constraints for K2-170 b place it outside the conservative habitable zone definition pending further atmospheric characterization.
The host star K2-170 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,748 K, a radius of 0.9816 R☉, a mass of 0.9637 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.944 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.11 dex (metal-poor relative to the Sun). From Earth, K2-170 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 12.668 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Southern celestial hemisphere. The K2-170 system is a multi-planet architecture hosting 2 confirmed worlds, with K2-170 b sharing its stellar neighborhood alongside K2-170 c.
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 | K2-170 |
| Spectral Type | Unclassified |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 5,748 K |
| Stellar Radius | 0.9816 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 0.9637 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 0.944 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | -0.110 dex |
| Stellar Age | — |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 12.668 · G: 12.496 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 2 Planets |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | — |
| Orbital Period | 7.577 days |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | Circular (0.00) |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 87.9889° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 5.03 g/cm³ (15.1 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | — |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 1281.400 LY (392.872 pc) |