Kepler-634 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-634 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-634, located approximately 2896.4 light-years (888.03 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0195% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.89 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 4.23 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 3.45 g/cm³ (an intermediate density indicative of a deep water-ice mantle or dense volatile envelope), a surface gravity of 1.18 g⊕ (11.57 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 16.7 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-634, Kepler-634 b completes one full revolution every 5.17 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.05765 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 121.3 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 1309 K (+1036°C / +1897°F) and receiving 808.84 S⊕ (~1,100,837 W/m²), Kepler-634 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-634 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,075 K, a radius of 1.24 R☉, a mass of 1.03 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.879 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 5.37 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.18 dex (metal-poor relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-634 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 13.626 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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