Kepler-590 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-590 b is a confirmed sub-neptune exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-590, located approximately 4637.3 light-years (1421.81 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.1027% across the stellar disk), this world measures 4.02 Earth radii (0.36 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 15.2 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 1.29 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 21.8 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-590, Kepler-590 b completes one full revolution every 5.853 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.0647 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 120.3 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 1056 K (+783°C / +1441°F) and receiving 782.42 S⊕ (~1,064,867 W/m²), Kepler-590 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-590 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,000 K, a radius of 1.15 R☉, a mass of 1.1 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.538 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 3.55 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.07 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-590 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 14.554 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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