Kepler-1306 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1306 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1306, located approximately 3612.2 light-years (1107.5 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0326% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.91 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 4.31 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 3.41 g/cm³ (an intermediate density indicative of a deep water-ice mantle or dense volatile envelope), a surface gravity of 1.18 g⊕ (11.57 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 16.8 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1306, Kepler-1306 b completes one full revolution every 16.296 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.123 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 82.1 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 678 K (+405°C / +761°F) and receiving 52.15 S⊕ (~70,971 W/m²), Kepler-1306 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1306 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,727 K, a radius of 0.97 R☉, a mass of 0.98 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.908 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 4.57 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-1306 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 15.353 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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