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Kepler-52 d

Super Earth Draco

Kepler-52 d is a super-Earth orbiting Kepler-52 in the constellation Draco. It lies about 1,049 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2014 using the transit method.

1.95×Earth radius
36 dOrbital period
0.58Earth similarity
1,049 lyDistance
2014Discovered

How Big Is Kepler-52 d?

Earth1.00 R⊕Kepler-52 d1.95 R⊕
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Kepler-52 d has a radius of 1.95 times that of Earth.

Is Kepler-52 d in the Habitable Zone?

Kepler-52 d orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of Kepler-52. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.

Kepler-52 d
Too hot Optimistic habitable zone Conservative habitable zone Too cold

Habitable zone of Kepler-52: 0.209–0.528 AU (conservative: 0.265–0.501 AU), per Kopparapu et al. (2014). Earth orbits the Sun at 1 AU.

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Orbit and Year Length

A year on Kepler-52 d — one full orbit around Kepler-52 — lasts 36.4 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.182 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun.

How Was Kepler-52 d Discovered?

Kepler-52 d was discovered in 2014 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-52 d?

Kepler-52 d is 1,048.7 light-years (321.5 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet about 1,049 years ago. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 18,457,120 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-52 d scores 0.58, ranking #159 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.

The Host Star: Kepler-52

Kepler-52

Surface temperature
4,075 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
Mass
0.54 M☉
Radius
0.52 R☉

The Kepler-52 Planetary System

Kepler-52 d is one of 3 known planets in the Kepler-52 system. Its siblings:

Kepler-52 d — Complete Data

Radius1.950 Earth radii (0.174 Jupiter radii)
Orbital period36.45 days
Orbital distance0.182 AU
Earth Similarity Index0.58
Distance from Earth1,048.7 light-years (321.5 parsecs)
ConstellationDraco
Discovery methodTransit
Discovery facilityKepler
Discovery year2014

Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2014-05-14. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kepler-52 d

Is Kepler-52 d habitable?

No — Kepler-52 d orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.

How far away is Kepler-52 d?

Kepler-52 d is about 1,049 light-years from Earth in the constellation Draco. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 18,457,120 years to get there.

How big is Kepler-52 d compared to Earth?

Kepler-52 d has 1.95 times the radius of Earth.

How long is a year on Kepler-52 d?

One orbit around Kepler-52 takes 36.4 Earth days — short enough that 10 of its years would fit into one Earth year.

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