Kepler-1576 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1576 b is a confirmed terrestrial exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1576, located approximately 1503.3 light-years (460.91 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0081% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.04 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 1.12 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 5.49 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.04 g⊕ (10.2 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 11.6 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1576, Kepler-1576 b completes one full revolution every 6.985 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.07211 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 112.3 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 1059 K (+786°C / +1447°F) and receiving 156.61 S⊕ (~213,143 W/m²), Kepler-1576 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1576 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,876 K, a radius of 1.06 R☉, a mass of 1.05 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.202 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 4.07 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.05 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-1576 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 13.439 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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