Kepler-1943 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1943 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1943, located approximately 3276.4 light-years (1004.55 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2021 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0213% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.549 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 3.02 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4.48 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.26 g⊕ (12.36 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 15.6 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1943, Kepler-1943 b completes one full revolution every 4.85 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.05975 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 134 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 1098 K (+825°C / +1517°F) and receiving 724.20 S⊕ (~985,636 W/m²), Kepler-1943 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1943 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,032 K, a radius of 0.973 R☉, a mass of 1.055 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.125 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 5.25 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.06 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-1943 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 13.868 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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