Kepler-871 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-871 b is a confirmed sub-neptune exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-871, located approximately 6445 light-years (1976.05 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0905% across the stellar disk), this world measures 3.74 Earth radii (0.33 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 13.5 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 1.42 g/cm³ (a low bulk density dominated by an extended hydrogen-helium gaseous envelope), a surface gravity of 0.97 g⊕ (9.51 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 21.3 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-871, Kepler-871 b completes one full revolution every 22.046 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.1572 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 77.6 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 640 K (+367°C / +693°F) and receiving 79.72 S⊕ (~108,502 W/m²), Kepler-871 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-871 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,993 K, a radius of 1.14 R☉, a mass of 1.11 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.504 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 3.47 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.09 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-871 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 15.882 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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