Kepler-1647 b
Kepler-1647 b is a cold gas giant orbiting Kepler-1647 in the constellation Cygnus. It lies about 3,955 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2016 using the transit method. It orbits within the habitable zone of its star — the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface.
How Big Is Kepler-1647 b?
Kepler-1647 b has a radius of 11.87 times that of Earth, or 1.06 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 483 times that of Earth.
Is Kepler-1647 b in the Habitable Zone?
Kepler-1647 b orbits inside the conservative habitable zone of Kepler-1647 — 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 Kepler-1647: 1.512–3.527 AU (conservative: 1.915–3.343 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 Kepler-1647 b — one full orbit around Kepler-1647 — lasts 1,107.6 Earth days, longer than an Earth year. It orbits at an average distance of 2.721 AU. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.06).
How Was Kepler-1647 b Discovered?
Kepler-1647 b was discovered in 2016 using the transit method, with observations from Kepler.
The transit method watches a star for the tiny, regular dip in brightness that occurs when a planet crosses in front of it. The depth and timing of these dips reveal the planet's size and orbital period.
How Far Away Is Kepler-1647 b?
Kepler-1647 b is 3,954.5 light-years (1,212.5 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet about 3,955 years ago. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 69,599,200 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. Kepler-1647 b scores 0.38, ranking #589 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: Kepler-1647
Kepler-1647 b is a circumbinary planet — it orbits around two stars at once, like Tatooine in Star Wars.
Kepler-1647
- Surface temperature
- 6,210 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.22 M☉
- Radius
- 1.79 R☉
- Age
- 4.4 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
Planetary System
Kepler-1647 b is the only planet known to orbit Kepler-1647 so far.
Kepler-1647 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 11.874 Earth radii (1.059 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 483.00 Earth masses (1.520 Jupiter masses) |
| Orbital period | 1,107.59 days |
| Orbital distance | 2.721 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.058 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.38 |
| Distance from Earth | 3,954.5 light-years (1,212.5 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Cygnus |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery facility | Kepler |
| Discovery year | 2016 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2016-05-18. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About Kepler-1647 b
Is Kepler-1647 b habitable?
Kepler-1647 b orbits within the habitable zone of Kepler-1647, 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 Kepler-1647 b?
Kepler-1647 b is about 3,955 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 69,599,200 years to get there.
How big is Kepler-1647 b compared to Earth?
Kepler-1647 b has 11.87 times the radius of Earth and about 483 times its mass.
How long is a year on Kepler-1647 b?
One orbit around Kepler-1647 takes 1,107.6 Earth days.
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