Kepler-1965 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1965 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1965, located approximately 1701.9 light-years (521.79 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2021 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.022% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.354 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 2.4 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 5.33 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.31 g⊕ (12.85 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 14.9 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1965, Kepler-1965 b completes one full revolution every 41.869 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.22971 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 59.7 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 492 K (+219°C / +426°F) and receiving 13.80 S⊕ (~18,782 W/m²), Kepler-1965 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1965 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,852 K, a radius of 0.837 R☉, a mass of 0.928 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.737 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 4.57 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.3 dex (metal-poor relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-1965 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 13.839 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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