Kepler-1969 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-1969 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-1969, located approximately 3928.7 light-years (1204.54 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2021 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0234% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.682 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 3.47 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4.02 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.23 g⊕ (12.06 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 16.1 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-1969, Kepler-1969 b completes one full revolution every 6.648 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.0717 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 117.3 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 999 K (+726°C / +1339°F) and receiving 235.89 S⊕ (~321,046 W/m²), Kepler-1969 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-1969 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,046 K, a radius of 1.007 R☉, a mass of 1.111 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.216 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.07 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-1969 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 15.851 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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