Kepler-1043 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1043 b is a confirmed sub-neptune exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1043, located approximately 2946.3 light-years (903.33 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0675% across the stellar disk), this world measures 2.55 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 7.04 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 2.34 g/cm³ (an intermediate density indicative of a deep water-ice mantle or dense volatile envelope), a surface gravity of 1.08 g⊕ (10.59 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 18.6 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1043, Kepler-1043 b completes one full revolution every 38.505 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.2159 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 61 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The orbit is modeled as circular (e = 0.00), maintaining a constant stellar distance throughout its year.

⚠️ Thermal Regime (Irradiated / Hot Zone): At an equilibrium temperature of 532 K (+259°C / +498°F) and receiving 21.69 S⊕ (~29,523 W/m²), Kepler-1043 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1043 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,629 K, a radius of 0.9 R☉, a mass of 0.92 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.73 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 4.47 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.11 dex (metal-poor relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-1043 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 14.949 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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