Kepler-62f
Transit[1] | |
Orbital characteristics | |
---|---|
0.718 ± 0.007[1] AU | |
Eccentricity | ~0[1] |
267.291 ± 0.005[1] d | |
Inclination | 89.90 ± 0.03[1] |
Star | Kepler-62 (KOI-701) |
Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 1.461±0.070 R🜨[3] |
Mass | 2.8±0.4 M🜨[1] |
Temperature | Teq: 208 K (−65 °C; −85 °F) |
Kepler-62f
Kepler-62f orbits its star at a distance of 0.718 AU (107,400,000 km; 66,700,000 mi) from its host star with an orbital period of roughly 267
The
Physical characteristics
Mass, radius and temperature
Kepler-62f is a
Host star
The planet orbits a (
The star's apparent magnitude, or how bright it appears from Earth's perspective, is 13.65. Therefore, it is too dim to be seen with the naked eye.
Orbit
Kepler-62f orbits its host star every 267.29 days at a
Habitability
Given the planet's age (7 ± 4 billion years), irradiance (0.41 ± 0.05 times Earth's) and radius (1.46 ± 0.07 times Earth's), a rocky (silicate-iron) composition with the addition of a possibly substantial amount of water is considered plausible.[1] A modeling study indicates it is likely that a great majority of planets in its size range are completely covered by ocean.[14][15] If its density is the same as Earth's, its mass would be 1.413 or 2.80 times Earth's. The planet has the potential for hosting a moon according to a study of tidal effects on potentially habitable planets.[16] The planet may be the only habitable-zone candidate which would avoid desiccation by irradiation from the host star at its current location.[17]
Climate
Although Kepler-62f may be an
2), it may be a planet covered entirely in ice.[18] In order for Kepler-62f to sustain an Earth-like climate (with an average temperature of around 284–290 K (11–17 °C; 52–62 °F), at least 5 bars (4.9 atm) of carbon dioxide would have to be present in the planet's atmosphere.[19]
On 13 May 2016, researchers at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) announced that they had found various scenarios that allow the exoplanet to be habitable. They tested several simulations based on Kepler-62f having an atmosphere that ranges in thickness from the same as Earth's all the way up to 12 times thicker than our planet's, various concentrations of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, ranging from the same amount as is in the Earth's atmosphere up to 2,500 times that level and several different possible configurations for its orbital path.[19] In June 2018, studies suggest that Kepler-62f may have seasons and a climate similar to those on Earth.[20][21]
Other factors
Because it is the outermost planet of its star system, the effects of tidal evolution from the inner planets and the host star on Kepler-62f are not likely to have had significant outcomes over its lifetime. The axial tilt is likely to have been unchanged, and thus, the planet may have an axial tilt (anywhere from 14°–30°) and rotational period somewhat similar to Earth.[22] This can further make the planet more sustainable for habitability, as it would be able to transfer heat to the night side, instead of it being a planet with its surface being half water and half ice.
K-type stars like Kepler-62 can live for approximately 20–40 billion years, 2 to 4 times longer than the estimated lifetime of the Sun.[6] The low stellar activity of orange dwarfs like Kepler-62, creates a relatively benign radiation environment for planets orbiting in their habitable zones, increasing their potential habitability.[23] One review essay in 2015 concluded that Kepler-62f, along with the exoplanets Kepler-186f and Kepler-442b, were likely the best candidates for being potentially habitable planets.[24][25]
Discovery
Follow-up studies
On 9 May 2013, a congressional hearing (Archived 2014-12-06 at the
At about 980 light-years (300 parsecs) distant, Kepler-62f is too remote and its star too far for current telescopes or the next generation of planned telescopes to determine its mass or whether it has an atmosphere. The Kepler spacecraft focused on a single small region of the sky but next-generation planet-hunting space telescopes, such as TESS and CHEOPS, will examine nearby stars throughout the sky.
Nearby stars with planets can then be studied by the upcoming
Extraterrestrial intelligence target
Kepler-62f and the other Kepler-62 exoplanets are being specially targeted as part of the
See also
- Habitability of K-type main-sequence star systems
- Kepler-62e, another exoplanet in the Kepler-62 system
- List of potentially habitable exoplanets
References
- ^ S2CID 21029755.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Michele; Harrington, J.D. (18 April 2013). "NASA's Kepler Discovers Its Smallest 'Habitable Zone' Planets to Date". NASA. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- S2CID 153313459.
- New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ^ "Kepler-62f: A Possible Water World". Space.com. 13 May 2016.
- ^ a b Paul Glister (August 12, 2009). "In Praise of K-class Stars". Centauri Dreams. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ "3 Potentially Habitable Super-Earth Planets Explained (Infographic)". Space.com. 18 April 2013.
- ^ a b "Has Kepler Found Ideal SETI-target Planets?". SETI Institute. 19 April 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- ^ "Kepler-62 f". NASA Exoplanet Archive. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- S2CID 9472389.
- ^ Mendez, Abel (April 18, 2013). "NASA Kepler Discovers New Potentially Habitable Exoplanets". Planetary Habitability Laboratory. Archived from the original on 2019-10-21. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ Fraser Cain (16 September 2008). "How Old is the Sun?". Universe Today. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ Fraser Cain (15 September 2008). "Temperature of the Sun". Universe Today. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- Harvard Gazette. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
- S2CID 256544.
- S2CID 120860148.
- PMID 25629240.
- ^ "Water Planets in the Habitable Zone: A Closer Look at Kepler 62e and 62f". Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Sci Tech Daily. April 22, 2013. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
- ^ PMID 27176715.
- ^ Mack, Eric (29 June 2018). "Two Earth-like exoplanets (Kepler 186f and Kepler 62f) now even better spots to look for life - Two of the earliest Earth-ish exoplanet finds are now more exciting targets in the search for habitable worlds beyond this rock". CNET. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
- S2CID 59033808.
- ^ Adam Hanhazy (2015-02-19). "Planets Can Alter Each Other's Climates over Eons". Astrobiology. Archived from the original on 2015-09-30. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Life Could Easily Develop Around Orange Dwarfs". Softpedia. 7 May 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
- ^ Paul Gilster, Andrew LePage (2015-01-30). "A Review of the Best Habitable Planet Candidates". Centauri Dreams, Tau Zero Foundation. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
- ^ NASA Astrobiology Strategy 2015 Archived 2016-12-22 at the Wayback Machine.(PDF), page 92, NASA
- ^ Clavin, Whitney; Chou, Felicia; Johnson, Michele (6 January 2015). "NASA's Kepler Marks 1,000th Exoplanet Discovery, Uncovers More Small Worlds in Habitable Zones". NASA. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ "Special Issue: Exoplanets". Science. 340 (6132). 3 May 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- S2CID 119302350.
External links
- NASA – Kepler Mission overview.
- NASA – Kepler Discoveries – Summary Table.
- NASA – Kepler-62f at The NASA Exoplanet Archive.
- NASA – Kepler-62f at The Exoplanet Data Explorer.
- NASA – Kepler-62f at The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia.
- Habitable Exolanets Catalog at UPR-Arecibo.
- Kepler – Discovery of New Planetary Systems (2013).
- Kepler – Tally of Planets/interactive (2013) – NYT.
- Video (02:27) - NASA Finds Three New Planets in "Habitable Zone" (18 April 2013).