Kepler-1079 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1079 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1079, located approximately 1927.9 light-years (591.1 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0121% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.63 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 3.29 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4.19 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.24 g⊕ (12.16 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 15.9 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1079, Kepler-1079 b completes one full revolution every 13.245 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.1092 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 89.7 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 887 K (+614°C / +1137°F) and receiving 195.35 S⊕ (~265,875 W/m²), Kepler-1079 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1079 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,758 K, a radius of 1.36 R☉, a mass of 1.08 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.824 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 6.61 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.21 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-1079 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 12.78 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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