K2-176 b
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
K2-176 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star K2-176, located approximately 806.6 light-years (247.3 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2018 by K2 using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.025% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.491 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 2.83 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4.71 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.27 g⊕ (12.45 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 15.4 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around K2-176, K2-176 b completes one full revolution every 5.329 Earth days.
ℹ️ Thermal & Atmospheric Regime: Current photometric and spectroscopic constraints for K2-176 b place it outside the conservative habitable zone definition pending further atmospheric characterization.
The host star K2-176 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,428 K, a radius of 0.8642 R☉, a mass of 0.9385 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.582 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.15 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, K2-176 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 12.909 (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 | K2-176 |
| Spectral Type | Unclassified |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 5,428 K |
| Stellar Radius | 0.8642 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 0.9385 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 0.582 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.150 dex |
| Stellar Age | — |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 12.909 · G: 12.650 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 1 Planet |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | — |
| Orbital Period | 5.329 days |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | Circular (0.00) |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 88.0625° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 4.71 g/cm³ (15.4 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | — |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 806.600 LY (247.302 pc) |