Kepler-1068 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1068 b is a confirmed sub-neptune exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1068, located approximately 4806.3 light-years (1473.61 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.1086% across the stellar disk), this world measures 3.63 Earth radii (0.32 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 12.8 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 1.48 g/cm³ (a low bulk density dominated by an extended hydrogen-helium gaseous envelope), a surface gravity of 0.97 g⊕ (9.51 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 21 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1068, Kepler-1068 b completes one full revolution every 16.923 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.13038 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 83.8 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 702 K (+429°C / +804°F) and receiving 55.93 S⊕ (~76,125 W/m²), Kepler-1068 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1068 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,806 K, a radius of 1.01 R☉, a mass of 1.01 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.04 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 4.17 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.03 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-1068 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 16.096 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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