Kepler-1967 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1967 b is a confirmed sub-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1967, located approximately 812.5 light-years (249.1 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2021 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0014% across the stellar disk), this world measures 0.73 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 0.315 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4.46 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 0.59 g⊕ (5.79 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 7.3 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1967, Kepler-1967 b completes one full revolution every 7.282 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.06686 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 99.9 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 1086 K (+813°C / +1495°F) and receiving 57.10 S⊕ (~77,713 W/m²), Kepler-1967 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1967 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 4,970 K, a radius of 1.806 R☉, a mass of 0.996 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.785 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 6.92 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.32 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-1967 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 13.519 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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