Kepler-915 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-915 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-915, located approximately 2769.2 light-years (849.04 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0099% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.5 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 2.86 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4.67 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.27 g⊕ (12.45 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 15.4 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-915, Kepler-915 b completes one full revolution every 4.595 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.05655 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 133.9 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 1319 K (+1046°C / +1915°F) and receiving 844.75 S⊕ (~1,149,706 W/m²), Kepler-915 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-915 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 6,173 K, a radius of 1.38 R☉, a mass of 1.21 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 2.481 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 3.39 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.08 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-915 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 13.314 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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