Kepler-1955 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1955 b is a confirmed terrestrial exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1955, located approximately 1465.6 light-years (449.35 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2021 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0069% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.167 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 1.69 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 5.86 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 13.5 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1955, Kepler-1955 b completes one full revolution every 14.265 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.11959 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 91.2 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 853 K (+580°C / +1076°F) and receiving 114.30 S⊕ (~155,562 W/m²), Kepler-1955 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1955 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,825 K, a radius of 1.291 R☉, a mass of 1.049 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.722 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 4.37 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.14 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-1955 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 12.609 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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