Kepler-1602 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1602 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1602, located approximately 2054.1 light-years (629.8 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0082% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.34 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 2.36 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 5.41 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.31 g⊕ (12.85 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 14.8 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1602, Kepler-1602 b completes one full revolution every 11.179 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.09744 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 94.8 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 1159 K (+886°C / +1627°F) and receiving 124.51 S⊕ (~169,454 W/m²), Kepler-1602 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1602 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,296 K, a radius of 1.36 R☉, a mass of 1.22 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 2.608 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 2.51 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.02 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-1602 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 13.362 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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