Kepler-452b

Kepler-452b
Artist's impression of Kepler-452b (center), depicted here as a rocky planet in the habitable zone with extensive cloud cover. The actual appearance and composition of the exoplanet is unknown.
Discovery
Discovered byKepler Science team
Discovery siteKepler
Discovery date23 July 2015 (announced)
Transit
Designations
KOI-7016.01 b
Orbital characteristics
1.046+0.019
−0.015
[1] AU
384.843+0.007
−0.012
[1] d
Inclination89.806+0.134
−0.049
StarKepler-452
Physical characteristics
1.5+0.32
−0.22
[1] R🜨
Mass5 ± 2[2] ME
1.9+1.5
−1.0
(est.) g[3]
TemperatureTeq: 265K+15
−13
(265 K (−8 °C; 17 °F))[1]

Kepler-452b (sometimes quoted to be an Earth 2.0 or Earth's Cousin[4][5] based on its characteristics; also known by its Kepler object of interest designation KOI-7016.01) is a super-Earth exoplanet orbiting within the inner edge of the habitable zone of the sun-like star Kepler-452 and is the only planet in the system discovered by the Kepler space telescope. It is located about 1,400 light-years (430 pc)[6] from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus.

Kepler-452b orbits its star at a distance of 1.04 AU (156 million km; 97 million mi) from its host star (nearly the same distance as Earth from the Sun), with an orbital period of roughly 385 days, has a mass at least five times that of Earth, and has a radius of around 1.5 times that of Earth. It is the first potentially rocky super-Earth[6] planet discovered orbiting within the habitable zone of a very Sun-like star.[7] However, it is unknown if it is entirely habitable, as it is receiving slightly more energy from its star than Earth and could be subjected to a runaway greenhouse effect.

The Kepler space telescope identified the exoplanet, and its discovery was announced by NASA on 23 July 2015.[8] The planet is about 1,800 light-years (550 pc) away from the Solar System. At the speed of the New Horizons spacecraft, at about 59,000 km/h (16,000 m/s; 37,000 mph), it would take approximately 30 million years to get there.[9]

  1. ^ a b c d "NASA Exoplanet Archive – Confirmed Planet Overview – Kepler-452b". NASA Exoplanet Archive. 2009. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
  2. ^ "NASA's Kepler Mission Discovers Bigger, Older Cousin to Earth". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 23 July 2015. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Feltman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Rincon, Paul (23 July 2015). "'Earth 2.0' found in Nasa Kepler telescope haul". BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Kepler-452b: How long would it take humans to reach 'Earth 2' and could we live there?". Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  6. ^ a b "The Habitable Exoplanets Catalog – Planetary Habitability Laboratory @ UPR Arecibo". upr.edu. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  7. ^ Chou, Felicia; Johnson, Michele (23 July 2015). "NASA's Kepler Mission Discovers Bigger, Older Cousin to Earth" (Press release). NASA. Archived from the original on 7 October 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  8. ^ Jenkins, Jon M.; Twicken, Joseph D.; Batalha, Natalie M.; et al. (23 July 2015). "Discovery and Validation of Kepler-452b: A 1.6 R🜨 Super Earth Exoplanet in the Habitable Zone of a G2 Star" (PDF). The Astronomical Journal. 150 (2): 56. arXiv:1507.06723. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...56J. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/2/56. ISSN 1538-3881. S2CID 26447864. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  9. ^ "NASA telescope discovers Earth-like planet in star's 'habitable zone". BNO News. 23 July 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2015.