Kepler-547 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-547 b is a confirmed sub-neptune exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-547, located approximately 1236 light-years (378.97 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.2524% across the stellar disk), this world measures 4 Earth radii (0.36 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 15.1 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 1.3 g/cm³ (a low bulk density dominated by an extended hydrogen-helium gaseous envelope), a surface gravity of 0.94 g⊕ (9.22 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 21.7 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-547, Kepler-547 b completes one full revolution every 6.01 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.058 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 105 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 768 K (+495°C / +923°F) and receiving 87.71 S⊕ (~119,377 W/m²), Kepler-547 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-547 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 4,828 K, a radius of 0.73 R☉, a mass of 0.78 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.26 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 2.88 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.01 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-547 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 14.48 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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