Kepler-853 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-853 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-853, located approximately 1854.8 light-years (568.68 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.01% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.69 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 3.5 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.23 g⊕ (12.06 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 16.1 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-853, Kepler-853 b completes one full revolution every 7.169 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.079 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 119.9 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 1187 K (+914°C / +1677°F) and receiving 499.30 S⊕ (~679,549 W/m²), Kepler-853 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-853 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,350 K, a radius of 1.55 R☉, a mass of 1.3 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 3.505 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 2.69 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.07 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-853 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 12.339 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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