Kepler-1194 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1194 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1194, located approximately 2470.2 light-years (757.38 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0226% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.51 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 2.89 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4.63 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.27 g⊕ (12.45 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 15.5 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1194, Kepler-1194 b completes one full revolution every 16.224 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.1212 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 81.3 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 676 K (+403°C / +757°F) and receiving 49.35 S⊕ (~67,165 W/m²), Kepler-1194 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1194 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,590 K, a radius of 0.92 R☉, a mass of 0.94 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.742 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 4.79 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-1194 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 14.31 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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