Kepler-1968 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1968 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1968, located approximately 2449.2 light-years (750.93 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2021 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0305% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.5 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 2.86 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4.67 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.27 g⊕ (12.45 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 15.4 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1968, Kepler-1968 b completes one full revolution every 7.281 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.0696 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 104 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 744 K (+471°C / +880°F) and receiving 72.16 S⊕ (~98,210 W/m²), Kepler-1968 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1968 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,008 K, a radius of 0.788 R☉, a mass of 0.844 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.35 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.18 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-1968 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 16.303 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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