Kepler-1620 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1620 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1620, located approximately 2919.3 light-years (895.07 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0144% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.61 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 3.22 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4.25 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.24 g⊕ (12.16 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 15.8 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1620, Kepler-1620 b completes one full revolution every 101.952 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.4322 AU (situated at an orbital separation between Mercury's 0.39 AU and Venus's 0.72 AU). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 46.1 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 428 K (+155°C / +311°F) and receiving 7.92 S⊕ (~10,779 W/m²), Kepler-1620 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1620 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,157 K, a radius of 1.23 R☉, a mass of 1.15 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.951 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 3.02 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.03 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-1620 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 13.69 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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