Kepler-34 b
Kepler-34 b is a cold gas giant orbiting Kepler-34 in the constellation Cygnus. It lies about 5,874 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2011 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-34 b?
Kepler-34 b has a radius of 8.56 times that of Earth, or 0.76 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 69.9 times that of Earth, giving it a density of 0.61 g/cm³ — closer to gas planets like Jupiter (1.33 g/cm³).
Is Kepler-34 b in the Habitable Zone?
Kepler-34 b orbits within the optimistic habitable zone of Kepler-34 — the broader region where liquid water might be possible under favorable atmospheric conditions.
Habitable zone of Kepler-34: 0.908–2.133 AU (conservative: 1.151–2.022 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-34 b — one full orbit around Kepler-34 — lasts 288.8 Earth days, between the years of Mercury (88 days) and Earth (365 days). It orbits at an average distance of 1.090 AU — comparable to the inner Solar System. Its orbit is mildly elliptical (eccentricity 0.18).
How Was Kepler-34 b Discovered?
Kepler-34 b was discovered in 2011 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-34 b?
Kepler-34 b is 5,873.5 light-years (1,800.8 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet about 5,874 years ago. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 103,373,600 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-34 b scores 0.43, ranking #380 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: Kepler-34
Kepler-34 b is a circumbinary planet — it orbits around two stars at once, like Tatooine in Star Wars.
Kepler-34
- Surface temperature
- 5,913 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 1.05 M☉
- Radius
- 1.16 R☉
- Luminosity
- 1.4894 L☉
Planetary System
Kepler-34 b is the only planet known to orbit Kepler-34 so far.
Kepler-34 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 8.564 Earth radii (0.764 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 69.92 Earth masses (0.220 Jupiter masses) |
| Density | 0.61 g/cm³ (Earth: 5.51) |
| Orbital period | 288.82 days |
| Orbital distance | 1.090 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.182 |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.43 |
| Distance from Earth | 5,873.5 light-years (1,800.8 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Cygnus |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery facility | Kepler |
| Discovery year | 2011 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2014-05-14. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About Kepler-34 b
Is Kepler-34 b habitable?
Kepler-34 b orbits within the habitable zone of Kepler-34, the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Whether it is actually habitable depends on its atmosphere and composition, which remain unknown.
How far away is Kepler-34 b?
Kepler-34 b is about 5,874 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 103,373,600 years to get there.
How big is Kepler-34 b compared to Earth?
Kepler-34 b has 8.56 times the radius of Earth and about 69.9 times its mass.
How long is a year on Kepler-34 b?
One orbit around Kepler-34 takes 288.8 Earth days.
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