Kepler-1070 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1070 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1070, located approximately 3062.6 light-years (939 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0144% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.73 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 3.64 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 3.88 g/cm³ (an intermediate density indicative of a deep water-ice mantle or dense volatile envelope), a surface gravity of 1.22 g⊕ (11.96 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 16.2 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1070, Kepler-1070 b completes one full revolution every 6.222 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.06753 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 118.1 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 1101 K (+828°C / +1522°F) and receiving 380.13 S⊕ (~517,362 W/m²), Kepler-1070 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1070 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,261 K, a radius of 1.32 R☉, a mass of 1.21 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 2.402 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 2.75 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.03 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-1070 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 14.133 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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