Kepler-97 c

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-97 c is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-97, located approximately 1307.6 light-years (400.91 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2014 by W. M. Keck Observatory using the Radial Velocity detection technique (measuring periodic Doppler reflex motion in the host star's spectrum), this world has a minimum or true mass of 344 Earth masses (1.08 M♃), while its physical transit radius has not yet been geometrically observed.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-97, Kepler-97 c completes one full revolution every 789 Earth days (2.16Julian years).

ℹ️ Thermal & Atmospheric Regime: Current photometric and spectroscopic constraints for Kepler-97 c place it outside the conservative habitable zone definition pending further atmospheric characterization.

The host star Kepler-97 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,779 K, a radius of 0.98 R☉, a mass of 0.94 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.961 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 8.42 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.2 dex (metal-poor relative to the Sun). From Earth, Kepler-97 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 12.994 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere. The Kepler-97 system is a multi-planet architecture hosting 2 confirmed worlds, with Kepler-97 c sharing its stellar neighborhood alongside Kepler-97 b.

Discovery Facility: W. M. Keck Observatory · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).