Kepler-848 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-848 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-848, located approximately 4496 light-years (1378.47 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0169% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.7 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 3.53 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 3.96 g/cm³ (an intermediate density indicative of a deep water-ice mantle or dense volatile envelope), a surface gravity of 1.22 g⊕ (11.96 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 16.1 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-848, Kepler-848 b completes one full revolution every 6.911 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.07586 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 119.4 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 1086 K (+813°C / +1495°F) and receiving 794.78 S⊕ (~1,081,693 W/m²), Kepler-848 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-848 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,695 K, a radius of 1.2 R☉, a mass of 1.01 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.359 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 8.32 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.15 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-848 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 14.194 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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