 Size comparison of Kepler-11e (gray) with Neptune. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovery date | 2 February 2011[1] |
| Transit (Kepler Mission)[1] | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 0.194 AU (29,000,000 km) | |
| 31.99590[2] d | |
| Inclination | 88.8[2] |
| Star | Kepler-11 (KOI-157) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 4.52 (± 0.43)[3] R🜨 | |
| Mass | 8.4 +2.5 −1.9[3] ME |
Mean density | 0.5 (± 0.2)[3] g cm−3 |
| Temperature | 617 K (344 °C; 651 °F)[4] |
Kepler-11e is an exoplanet (extrasolar planet) discovered in the orbit of the sunlike star Kepler-11. It is the fourth of six planets around Kepler-11 discovered by NASA's Kepler space telescope. Kepler-11e was found by using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured. Kepler-11e is most likely a gas giant like Neptune, having a density that is less than that of Saturn, the least dense planet in the Solar System.[5] Its low density can probably be attributed to a large hydrogen and helium atmosphere.[1] Kepler-11e has a mass eight times of Earth's mass and a radius 4.5 times that of Earth. The planet orbits its star every 31 days in an ellipse that would fit within the orbit of Mercury. Kepler-11e was announced on February 2, 2011 with its five sister planets after it was confirmed by several observatories.
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