Exoplanet · Earth-sized rocky planet
Kepler-438 b
Kepler-438 b is a Earth-sized rocky planet orbiting the star Kepler-438. Its year lasts 35.2 Earth days. It was discovered in 2015 by the Transit method.
| Host star | Kepler-438 |
|---|---|
| Distance | 639.1 light-years (195.9 pc) |
| Orbital period | 35.2 days |
| Orbital radius | 0.166 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.030 |
| Radius | 1.12 R⊕ · 0.0999 R♃ |
| Mass | 1.46 M⊕ · 0.00459 M♃ (estimated from the radius) |
| Density | 5.71 g/cm³ |
| Equilibrium temperature | 288 K (15 °C) |
| Stellar flux received | 1.4 × Earth |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery year | 2015 |
| Discovered by | Kepler |
Habitable zone
At the edge of the habitable zone (within the optimistic limits): liquid water would be possible only with a favourable atmosphere.
Its star in the sky
In the planet's sky its star is a disc 1.7° across: 3.1 times the Sun as we see it from Earth.
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 15.10. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 48° S. North of latitude 48° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in July, the best time to observe it.
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1387. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 11 million years.
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, PSCompPars. Its look in the simulation is a rendering based on the measured radius, mass and temperature.