Kepler-1962 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1962 b is a confirmed terrestrial exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1962, located approximately 2827.2 light-years (866.83 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2021 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0123% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.215 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 1.95 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 5.99 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.32 g⊕ (12.94 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 14.2 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1962, Kepler-1962 b completes one full revolution every 7.991 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.0783 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 106.6 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 901 K (+628°C / +1162°F) and receiving 155.95 S⊕ (~212,248 W/m²), Kepler-1962 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1962 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,700 K, a radius of 1.006 R☉, a mass of 1.003 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.958 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.16 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-1962 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 15.146 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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