Kepler-442 b
Planet· orbits the Sun
Kepler-442 b — a super-Earth (1.34 Earth radii) orbiting in the habitable zone of its orange dwarf every 112 days. Its size is measured (it transits); its mass is only size-estimated, so no density is quoted. Widely ranked among the most Earth-like planets known, on one of the highest Earth-similarity indices. Never imaged.
Open in 3D viewSee Kepler-442 b in the live, interactive 3D map
Key facts
Radius
8,537 km
1.34× wider than Earth
Year
112 Earth days
Distance from Kepler-442
0.409 AU
Science
Physical
- Radius
- 8,537 km · 1.34× wider than Earth
Orbital
- Semi-major axis
- 0.409 AU
- Eccentricity
- 0
- Inclination
- 0.00 °
- Orbital period
- 112.3 days
- Perihelion
- 0.409 AU
- Aphelion
- 0.409 AU
- Mean orbital velocity
- 39.6 km/s
Composition
- Bulk composition
- A super-Earth (1.34 Earth radii) in its star's habitable zone; its size is measured (it transits), its mass only size-estimated, so no density is quoted. It is repeatedly ranked among the most Earth-like planets known on the Earth-similarity index — a promise from its size and orbit, not a measured surface. Never imaged.
- Surface appearance
- Appearance based on NASA/JPL-Caltech's artist's concept. No spacecraft has imaged this world, so its real appearance is unknown — The surface shown is an artistic representation, shown only in Vision mode; Realism shows a plain spectral colour.
Radiation & temperature
- Insolation
- 0.723 S⊕ · 72% of the sunlight Earth receives
- Equilibrium temperature
- 241 K (-32 °C)
Discovery & history
- Method
- Transit detection
- Name
- Designated 'b' under the IAU convention that letters a star's planets 'b', 'c', 'd'... in the order they are found (the star is the unwritten 'a'); no IAU proper name has been assigned.
Confirmed from Kepler data in 2015 and repeatedly highlighted as one of the best candidates for a rocky, temperate, potentially habitable world beyond the Sun.
Images
No telescope has imaged this world — it is known only from the tiny dip it makes crossing its star. Only its host system has been pictured (see the system view); its true surface appearance is unknown.