K2-192 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

K2-192 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star K2-192, located approximately 723.3 light-years (221.75 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2018 by K2 using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0296% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.52 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 2.92 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4.58 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.26 g⊕ (12.36 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 15.5 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around K2-192, K2-192 b completes one full revolution every 4.163 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.049 AU (an ultra-close orbit less than one-seventh of Mercury's 0.387 AU distance from the Sun, where strong stellar tidal forces typically induce synchronous rotation). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 128.1 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s).

⚠️ Thermal Regime (Irradiated / Hot Zone): At an equilibrium temperature of 939 K (+666°C / +1231°F) and receiving 181.72 S⊕ (~247,320 W/m²), K2-192 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star K2-192 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,222 K, a radius of 0.81 R☉, a mass of 0.9 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.438 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.15 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, K2-192 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 12.656 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Southern celestial hemisphere.

Discovery Facility: K2 · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).