Kepler-980 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

Kepler-980 b is a confirmed sub-neptune exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-980, located approximately 3135.9 light-years (961.47 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2016 by Kepler using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0533% across the stellar disk), this world measures 2.67 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 7.61 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 2.2 g/cm³ (an intermediate density indicative of a deep water-ice mantle or dense volatile envelope), a surface gravity of 1.07 g⊕ (10.49 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 18.9 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around Kepler-980, Kepler-980 b completes one full revolution every 11.551 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.09993 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 94.1 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 845 K (+572°C / +1062°F) and receiving 170.14 S⊕ (~231,556 W/m²), Kepler-980 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star Kepler-980 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,935 K, a radius of 1.06 R☉, a mass of 1.05 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.251 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 3.55 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.01 dex (near-solar heavy-element abundance). From Earth, Kepler-980 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 14.221 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

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