Key parameters at a glance
- A radius of 8.45 Earth radii
- A mass of 105.83 Earth masses
- Surface gravity around 1.48 g
- An orbital period of 228.776 days
- Semi-major axis 0.7048 AU
- Distance from Earth 244.89 light-years
- Earth Similarity Index 0.399
- Travel time at Voyager 1 speed 4,318,721 years
Circumbinary planet
Kepler-16 b orbits a binary-star pair rather than a single host — a minority architecture in the confirmed catalogue.
Kepler-16 b Planet Profile
Physical Specs
Classification
Planet Type
Neptune-like
Discovery
Size rank in cohort
Rank by radius
#126of 574
top 21.8%
This planet
8.45R⊕
Neptune-like median
6.39R⊕
Nearest-size peers
| Metric | Earth | Kepler-16 b | Jupiter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radius (R⊕) | 1.00 | 8.45 | 11.21 |
| Mass (M⊕) | 1.00 | 105.83 | 317.83 |
| Density (g/cm³) | 5.51 | 0.96 | 1.33 |
| Surface Gravity (g) | 1.00 | 1.48 | 2.53 |
| Insolation (S⊕) | 1.00 | — | 0.037 |
Alternative Mass Estimates
| Method | Value | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Best measured mass | 105.833 M⊕ | Direct mass measurement (not derived). |
Star Catalogue Identifiers
TIC
TIC 299096355
Gaia DR2
Gaia DR2 2133476355197071616
Gaia DR3
Gaia DR3 2133476355197071616
System
Kepler-16
Percentile among Neptune-like cohort
Orbit & Habitability
Orbital Dynamics
Year Length
A year here lasts approximately 228.78 Earth days (62.6% of a terrestrial year) on a nearly circular orbit at a mean orbital distance of 0.7048 AU.
Extended Orbital Architecture
RV semi-amplitude (K)
11.800 m/s
Transit mid-time (BJD)
2,455,212.1232
Long. of periastron (ω)
318.00°
Angular separation (arcsec)
9.39000
Eq. Temperature
—
Insolation (S⊕)
—
Earth = 1.00
Earth Similarity (ESI)
0.399
0 = alien, 1 = Earth-identical
Detection Signatures
Transit photometry
A transit dip has been observed from at least one telescope.
Radial velocity
Stellar wobble has been measured spectroscopically.
Transit timing variations
Gravitational interactions from neighbours have been detected.
Discovery Paper
Primary reference
Doyle et al. 2011Instrument
Kepler CCD Array
Publication
2011-09
Observation locale
Space
Discovery cohort
Planets confirmed in 2011 at Kepler (12 shown).
Host System: Kepler-16
Spectral Class
K-type orange
Effective Temperature
4,450 K — cooler than the Sun (5,778 K)
Estimated Age
3.80 Gyr — younger than the Sun (4.6 Gyr)
Stellar Radius
0.649 R☉
Stellar Mass
0.690 M☉
Metallicity [Fe/H]
-0.30
Extended Stellar Properties
Surface gravity (log g)
4.653 dex
Stellar density
3.563 g/cm³
Systemic radial velocity
-33.81 km/s
Metallicity ratio
[M/H]
Multi-band Host Photometry — 16 bands
Astrometric Data
Parallax
13.289 mas
Total Proper Motion
50.589 mas/yr
PM Right Ascension
14.04 mas/yr
PM Declination
-48.60 mas/yr
Galactic Cartesian (pc)
x = 0.202 · y = -0.585 · z = 0.785
Equatorial (J2000)
RA 289.07583° · Dec 51.75723°
Galactic ℓ, b
82.785° · 17.366°
Ecliptic λ, β
312.042° · 72.418°
HTM-20 index
31323343
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