Kepler-465 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-465 b is a confirmed sub-neptune exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-465, located approximately 1803.9 light-years (553.08 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.044% across the stellar disk), this world measures 2.95 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 9.01 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 1.94 g/cm³ (a low bulk density dominated by an extended hydrogen-helium gaseous envelope), a surface gravity of 1.04 g⊕ (10.2 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 19.5 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-465, Kepler-465 b completes one full revolution every 9.941 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.09195 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 100.6 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 996 K (+723°C / +1333°F) and receiving 227.82 S⊕ (~310,063 W/m²), Kepler-465 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-465 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,310 K, a radius of 1.29 R☉, a mass of 1.23 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 2.367 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 2.19 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.09 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-465 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 12.651 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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