Kepler-1226 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1226 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1226, located approximately 3671.6 light-years (1125.72 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.017% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.45 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 2.7 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4.88 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.28 g⊕ (12.55 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 15.3 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1226, Kepler-1226 b completes one full revolution every 17.292 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.13945 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 87.7 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 809 K (+536°C / +997°F) and receiving 140.38 S⊕ (~191,052 W/m²), Kepler-1226 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1226 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,923 K, a radius of 1.02 R☉, a mass of 1.02 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.149 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 3.72 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.08 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-1226 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 14.324 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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