 Size comparison of Kepler-10c with Earth and Neptune | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovery date | Announced May 23, 2011[2] |
| Transit (Kepler Mission)[2] | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 0.2407+0.0044 −0.0053[3] AU | |
| 45.29485+0.00065 −0.00076[3] d | |
| Inclination | 89.65+0.09 −0.12[3] |
| Star | Kepler-10[4] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 2.35+0.09 −0.04[5] R🜨 | |
| Mass | 7.37 +1.32 −1.19[6] ME |
Mean density | 3.14 +0.63 −0.55[6] g cm−3 |
| Temperature | Teq: 584 +54 −17[5] K |
Kepler-10c is an exoplanet orbiting the G-type star[1] Kepler-10, located around 608 light-years away in Draco. Its discovery was announced by the Kepler space telescope team in May 2011, although it had been seen as a planetary candidate since January 2011, when Kepler-10b was discovered. The team confirmed the observation using data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and a technique called BLENDER that ruled out most false positives. Kepler-10c was the third transiting planet to be confirmed statistically (based on probability rather than actual observation), after Kepler-9d and Kepler-11g. The Kepler team considers the statistical method that led to the discovery of Kepler-10c as what will be necessary to confirm many planets in Kepler's field of view.[1]
Kepler-10c orbits its host star every forty-five days at a quarter of the average distance between the Sun and Earth. Initial observations showed that it has a radius more than double that of Earth, and suggested a higher density, suggesting a mainly rocky composition with around 5–20% ices by mass.[5][1][7] For comparison, the Earth's oceans represent only 0.02% of our planet's mass,[8] with an additional amount potentially a few times this stored in the mantle.[9] However, in 2017, more careful analysis using both HARPS and HIRES data revealed that Kepler-10c is not a large terrestrial planet, but instead a typical volatile-rich planet of about seven Earth masses.[10][6]
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
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datatablewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
harpswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Rajpaul, V. (July 2017), "Pinning down the mass of Kepler-10c: the importance of sampling and model comparison", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 471 (1): L25–L130, arXiv:1707.06192, Bibcode:2017MNRAS.471L.125R, doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slx116.
- ^ Clavin, Whitney (June 2, 2014). "Astronomers Confounded By Massive Rocky World". NASA. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
universetodaywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
northwesternwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Santos, Leonardo dos (2017-08-07). "The mass of Kepler-10c revisited: Upping the radial velocities game". Astrobites.