Kepler-1170 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1170 b is a confirmed sub-neptune exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1170, located approximately 3426.1 light-years (1050.45 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0845% across the stellar disk), this world measures 2.41 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 6.39 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 2.52 g/cm³ (an intermediate density indicative of a deep water-ice mantle or dense volatile envelope), a surface gravity of 1.1 g⊕ (10.79 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 18.2 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1170, Kepler-1170 b completes one full revolution every 9.99 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.088 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 95.8 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 705 K (+432°C / +810°F) and receiving 69.54 S⊕ (~94,640 W/m²), Kepler-1170 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1170 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,069 K, a radius of 0.76 R☉, a mass of 0.8 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.342 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 4.9 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.09 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-1170 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 16.204 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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