Kepler-22

system

Kepler-22 — a Sun-like star ~635 light-years away in Cygnus, host to Kepler-22 b: the first planet Kepler confirmed in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star (2011), a landmark in the search for another Earth. Descend to explore it.

Open in 3D viewSee Kepler-22 in the live, interactive 3D map

Science

Classification

Type: Planetary system
Distance: ~635 light-years · its real distance from the Sun
Explore: Descend to see the star and its confirmed planets

How we know

Note: A real star system, shown at its measured position in the galaxy. Its star and confirmed planets — their measured sizes and how each was found — are on the cards inside; descend to explore them. Distances follow Gaia parallax; planet data follow the NASA Exoplanet Archive.

Discovery & history

Name: A designation from NASA's Kepler mission (also KOI-087); the star has no proper name.

Announced in December 2011, Kepler-22 b was the first Kepler planet confirmed squarely in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star — a headline result that made the system famous as an early candidate for a temperate world. A little over twice Earth's size, it may be a water world or a mini-Neptune; its mass is only loosely bounded.

Images

Artist's impression of Kepler-22 b, the first planet confirmed in a Sun-like star's habitable zone (2011) — an artist's concept, not a photograph. — NASA / Ames / JPL-Caltech (public domain) · Wikimedia Commons

NASA's comparison of Kepler's small habitable-zone planets — including Kepler-186 f and Kepler-442 b — with the Solar System (a NASA diagram). — NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech (public domain) · Wikimedia Commons

Images from open archives · credit shown per image