KIC 3526061 b
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
KIC 3526061 b is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star KIC 3526061, located approximately 1308.6 light-years (401.23 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2022 by McDonald Observatory using the Radial Velocity detection technique (measuring periodic Doppler reflex motion in the host star's spectrum), this world measures 12.1 Earth radii (1.08 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 5768.586 Earth masses (18.15 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 17.95 g/cm³ (an iron-enriched, high-compression rocky core), a surface gravity of 39.4 g⊕ (386.38 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 244.2 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around KIC 3526061, KIC 3526061 b completes one full revolution every 3552 Earth days (9.72Julian years) at a semi-major axis of 5.14 AU (corresponding to the middle-system regime between Mars at 1.52 AU and Jupiter at 5.20 AU). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 15.7 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The planet follows a highly eccentric trajectory (e = 0.85, swinging from 0.771 AU at periapsis out to 9.509 AU at apoapsis), pointing to past dynamical scattering or secular gravitational perturbations.
☁️ Atmospheric Regime (Volatile / Gas Envelope): With a radius of 12.100 R⊕, KIC 3526061 b exceeds the empirical ~1.8–2.2 R⊕ Fulton radius valley threshold, indicating a substantial hydrogen-helium or supercritical volatile envelope without a conventional solid terrestrial surface.
The host star KIC 3526061 is classified as a stellar host with an effective photospheric temperature of 4,829 K, a radius of 5.86 R☉, a mass of 1.42 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 16.754 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.12 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, KIC 3526061 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 10.372 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.
Methodology: Computed using the Schulze-Makuch et al. (2011) weighted metric comparing physical interior (radius, estimated density) and surface thermal regime (escape velocity, equilibrium temperature).
Discovery Facility: McDonald Observatory · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).
☀️ Host Star Telemetry
| Host Star Name | KIC 3526061 |
| Spectral Type | Unclassified |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 4,829 K |
| Stellar Radius | 5.8600 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 1.4200 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 16.754 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.120 dex |
| Stellar Age | — |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 10.372 · G: 9.991 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 1 Planet |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | 5.140000 AU |
| Orbital Period | 3552 days |
| Mean Orbital Velocity | 15.7 km/s |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | 0.85000 |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | — |
| Mean Bulk Density | 17.95 g/cm³ (244.2 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | 0.6208 S⊕ (~845 W/m²) |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 1308.600 LY (401.229 pc) |