Kepler-1496 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1496 b is a confirmed sub-neptune exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1496, located approximately 4265 light-years (1307.66 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0257% across the stellar disk), this world measures 2.22 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 5.56 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 2.8 g/cm³ (an intermediate density indicative of a deep water-ice mantle or dense volatile envelope), a surface gravity of 1.13 g⊕ (11.08 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 17.7 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1496, Kepler-1496 b completes one full revolution every 64.659 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.3211 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 54 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 535 K (+262°C / +504°F) and receiving 18.38 S⊕ (~25,019 W/m²), Kepler-1496 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1496 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,182 K, a radius of 1.27 R☉, a mass of 1.18 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 2.114 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 2.95 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.05 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-1496 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 14.832 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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