Kepler-440 b
Kepler-440 b is a super-Earth orbiting Kepler-440 in the constellation Lyra. It lies about 982 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2015 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-440 b?
Kepler-440 b has a radius of 1.86 times that of Earth.
Is Kepler-440 b in the Habitable Zone?
Kepler-440 b orbits within the optimistic habitable zone of Kepler-440 — the broader region where liquid water might be possible under favorable atmospheric conditions.
Habitable zone of Kepler-440: 0.227–0.572 AU (conservative: 0.288–0.542 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 ›
Temperature on Kepler-440 b
Kepler-440 b receives 1.20 times the stellar energy that Earth gets from the Sun.
Orbit and Year Length
A year on Kepler-440 b — one full orbit around Kepler-440 — lasts 101.1 Earth days, between the years of Mercury (88 days) and Earth (365 days). It orbits at an average distance of 0.242 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical (eccentricity 0.34), swinging dramatically closer to and farther from its star.
How Was Kepler-440 b Discovered?
Kepler-440 b was discovered in 2015 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-440 b?
Kepler-440 b is 981.8 light-years (301.0 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet around the year 1045. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 17,279,680 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-440 b scores 0.75, ranking #36 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: Kepler-440
Kepler-440
- Surface temperature
- 4,134 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.57 M☉
- Radius
- 0.56 R☉
- Luminosity
- 0.0791 L☉
- Age
- 1.3 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
Planetary System
Kepler-440 b is the only planet known to orbit Kepler-440 so far.
Kepler-440 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 1.860 Earth radii (0.170 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Orbital period | 101.11 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.242 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.340 |
| Stellar irradiation | 1.20× Earth |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.75 |
| Distance from Earth | 981.8 light-years (301.0 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Lyra |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery facility | Kepler |
| Discovery year | 2015 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2015-01-06. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About Kepler-440 b
Is Kepler-440 b habitable?
Kepler-440 b orbits within the habitable zone of Kepler-440, 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-440 b?
Kepler-440 b is about 982 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 17,279,680 years to get there.
How big is Kepler-440 b compared to Earth?
Kepler-440 b has 1.86 times the radius of Earth.
How long is a year on Kepler-440 b?
One orbit around Kepler-440 takes 101.1 Earth days.
Explore Kepler-440 b in the app
Browse, filter and compare 6,000+ exoplanets on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch — with habitable-zone views, widgets and offline data.
