Key parameters at a glance
- A radius of 9.06 Earth radii
- A mass of 1,907.00 Earth masses
- Surface gravity around 23.25 g
- An orbital period of 33.601 days
- Semi-major axis 0.1968 AU
- Equilibrium temperature 543 K (270 °C)
- Distance from Earth 2,534.43 light-years
- Earth Similarity Index 0.286
- Travel time at Voyager 1 speed 44,694,632 years
- Almost certainly tidally locked to its host star given the close orbit
2 siblings around Kepler-46
Kepler-46 b shares its host star with 2 other confirmed planets. Side-by-side measurements below.
| Planet | Type | Radius (R⊕) | Mass (M⊕) | Period (d) | Eq. T (K) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kepler-46 d | Super-Earth | 1.64 | 3.33 | 6.767 | 845 | 2014 |
| Kepler-46 b this | Neptune-like | 9.06 | 1,907.00 | 33.601 | 543 | 2012 |
| Kepler-46 c | Gas Giant | 13.50 | 119.50 | 57.011 | 455 | 2012 |
Kepler-46 b Planet Profile
Physical Specs
Classification
Planet Type
Neptune-like
Discovery
Size rank in cohort
Rank by radius
#85of 574
top 14.6%
This planet
9.06R⊕
Neptune-like median
6.39R⊕
Nearest-size peers
| Metric | Earth | Kepler-46 b | Jupiter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radius (R⊕) | 1.00 | 9.06 | 11.21 |
| Mass (M⊕) | 1.00 | 1,907.00 | 317.83 |
| Density (g/cm³) | 5.51 | 14.00 | 1.33 |
| Surface Gravity (g) | 1.00 | 23.25 | 2.53 |
| Insolation (S⊕) | 1.00 | 10.90 | 0.037 |
Alternative Mass Estimates
| Method | Value | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Best measured mass | 1,907.000 M⊕ | Direct mass measurement (not derived). |
Star Catalogue Identifiers
TIC
TIC 158992508
Gaia DR2
Gaia DR2 2102700131386216576
Gaia DR3
Gaia DR3 2102700131386216576
System
Kepler-46
Percentile among Neptune-like cohort
Orbit & Habitability
Orbital Dynamics
Year Length
A year here lasts approximately 33.60 Earth days (9.2% of a terrestrial year) on a nearly circular orbit at a mean orbital distance of 0.1968 AU.
Transit Fingerprint
Depth
0.743 %
Duration
4.454 h
Impact parameter b
0.757
Rp / R★
0.088700
Transit midpoint (BJD)
2,455,053.2826
Photometric dip
Transit produces a flux drop of 7,426 ppm lasting ≈ 4.45 h.
Extended Orbital Architecture
Planet / star radius ratio
0.088700
Semi-major axis / stellar radius
45.100
Impact parameter (b)
0.757
Transit mid-time (BJD)
2,455,053.2826
Long. of periastron (ω)
264.20°
Angular separation (arcsec)
0.25300
Eq. Temperature
543K
(270 °C)
Insolation (S⊕)
10.90
Earth = 1.00
Earth Similarity (ESI)
0.286
0 = alien, 1 = Earth-identical
Inside the inner HZ boundary (too hot for liquid water) — the surface is too hot to retain surface water. Close-orbiting tidally-locked around a cool host.
Detection Signatures
Transit photometry
A transit dip has been observed from at least one telescope.
Transit timing variations
Gravitational interactions from neighbours have been detected.
Discovery Paper
Primary reference
Nesvorny et al. 2012Instrument
Kepler CCD Array
Publication
2012-06
Observation locale
Space
Discovery cohort
Planets confirmed in 2012 at Kepler (12 shown).
Host System: Kepler-46
Spectral Class
K-type orange
Effective Temperature
5,155 K — cooler than the Sun (5,778 K)
Estimated Age
9.70 Gyr — older than the Sun (4.6 Gyr)
Stellar Radius
0.938 R☉
Stellar Mass
0.902 M☉
Metallicity [Fe/H]
0.41
Extended Stellar Properties
Surface gravity (log g)
4.447 dex
Stellar density
1.530 g/cm³
Metallicity ratio
[M/H]
Multi-band Host Photometry — 16 bands
Astrometric Data
Parallax
1.259 mas
Total Proper Motion
3.280 mas/yr
PM Right Ascension
3.16 mas/yr
PM Declination
0.89 mas/yr
Galactic Cartesian (pc)
x = 0.243 · y = -0.695 · z = 0.677
Equatorial (J2000)
RA 289.26874° · Dec 42.60418°
Galactic ℓ, b
74.114° · 13.624°
Ecliptic λ, β
303.407° · 63.825°
HTM-20 index
951086412
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