Kepler-785 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-785 b is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-785, located approximately 2094.1 light-years (642.05 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 2.8265% across the stellar disk), this world has a measured radius of 13.02 Earth radii (1.16 R♃), though radial-velocity mass constraints remain unmeasured in the current composite catalogue.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-785, Kepler-785 b completes one full revolution every 1.974 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.025 AU (an ultra-close orbit less than one-seventh of Mercury's 0.387 AU distance from the Sun, where strong stellar tidal forces typically induce synchronous rotation). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 137.8 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 753 K (+480°C / +896°F) and receiving 163.86 S⊕ (~223,016 W/m²), Kepler-785 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-785 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 4,739 K, a radius of 0.71 R☉, a mass of 0.77 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.228 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 2.82 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.02 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-785 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 16.315 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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