Kepler-35 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-35 b is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-35, located approximately 5933.3 light-years (1819.17 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2011 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.5292% across the stellar disk), this world measures 8.16 Earth radii (0.73 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 40.363 Earth masses (0.13 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 0.41 g/cm³ (a low bulk density dominated by an extended hydrogen-helium gaseous envelope), a surface gravity of 0.61 g⊕ (5.98 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 24.9 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-35, Kepler-35 b completes one full revolution every 131.458 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.60347 AU (situated at an orbital separation between Mercury's 0.39 AU and Venus's 0.72 AU). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 49.9 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). With a near-circular eccentricity of e = 0.042 (ranging from 0.5781 AU at periapsis to 0.6288 AU at apoapsis), the planet experiences minimal orbital distance variation.

⚠️ Thermal Regime (Irradiated / Hot Zone): At an equilibrium temperature of 353 K (+80°C / +176°F) and receiving 2.58 S⊕ (~3,512 W/m²), Kepler-35 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-35 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,606 K, a radius of 1.0284 R☉, a mass of 0.8877 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.937 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.34 dex (metal-poor relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-35 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 15.863 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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