KELT-6 c
KELT-6 c is a cold gas giant orbiting KELT-6 in the constellation Coma Berenices. It lies about 785 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2015 using the radial velocity method. It orbits within the habitable zone of its star — the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface.
Is KELT-6 c in the Habitable Zone?
KELT-6 c orbits inside the conservative habitable zone of KELT-6 — the region where a rocky planet could sustain liquid water on its surface. This makes it one of the most interesting known exoplanets in the search for life.
Habitable zone of KELT-6: 1.420–3.319 AU (conservative: 1.798–3.147 AU), per Kopparapu et al. (2014). Earth orbits the Sun at 1 AU.
See the full interactive habitable-zone view in the Exoplanet Explorer app ›
Orbit and Year Length
A year on KELT-6 c — one full orbit around KELT-6 — lasts 1,276.0 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 2.390 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.21).
How Was KELT-6 c Discovered?
KELT-6 c was discovered in 2015 using the radial velocity method, with observations from Multiple Observatories.
The radial velocity method measures the subtle wobble of a star caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet, visible as periodic shifts in the star's light spectrum. The size of the wobble reveals the planet's minimum mass.
How Far Away Is KELT-6 c?
KELT-6 c is 785.1 light-years (240.7 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1241. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 13,817,760 years to make the journey.
Earth Similarity Index
The Earth Similarity Index (ESI) scores how physically similar a planet is to Earth, from 0 to 1, based on radius, density, escape velocity and surface temperature. KELT-6 c scores 0.37, ranking #600 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: KELT-6
KELT-6
- Surface temperature
- 6,102 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.42 M☉
- Radius
- 1.73 R☉
The KELT-6 Planetary System
KELT-6 c is one of 2 known planets in the KELT-6 system. Its siblings:
- KELT-6 b (Hot Jupiter)
KELT-6 c — Complete Data
| Mass (best estimate) | 1,179.15 Earth masses |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 1,276.00 days |
| Orbital distance | 2.390 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.210 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.37 |
| Distance from Earth | 785.1 light-years (240.7 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Discovery method | Radial Velocity |
| Discovery facility | Multiple Observatories |
| Discovery year | 2015 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2015-09-02. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About KELT-6 c
Is KELT-6 c habitable?
KELT-6 c orbits within the habitable zone of KELT-6, the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. It sits in the conservative habitable zone — the most promising region for habitability. Whether it is actually habitable depends on its atmosphere and composition, which remain unknown.
How far away is KELT-6 c?
KELT-6 c is about 785 light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 13,817,760 years to get there.
How long is a year on KELT-6 c?
One orbit around KELT-6 takes 1,276.0 Earth days.
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