Kepler-1914 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1914 b is a confirmed sub-neptune exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1914, located approximately 5288.8 light-years (1621.56 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2021 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.079% across the stellar disk), this world measures 2.943 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 8.97 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 1.94 g/cm³ (a low bulk density dominated by an extended hydrogen-helium gaseous envelope), a surface gravity of 1.04 g⊕ (10.2 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 19.5 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1914, Kepler-1914 b completes one full revolution every 30.828 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.1954 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 69 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 585 K (+312°C / +594°F) and receiving 27.66 S⊕ (~37,645 W/m²), Kepler-1914 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1914 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,982 K, a radius of 0.96 R☉, a mass of 1.047 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.059 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.04 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-1914 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 15.911 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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