Kepler-22 Explained

Extrasolar Planets
Encyclopaedia
dataKepler-22 is a Sun-like star in the northern constellation of Cygnus, the swan, that is orbited by a planet found to be unequivocally within the star's habitable zone. It is located at the celestial coordinates: Right Ascension, Declination . With an apparent visual magnitude of 11.7, this star is too faint to be seen with the naked eye. It can be viewed with a telescope having an aperture of at least 4inches. The estimated distance to Kepler-22 is 644abbr=offNaNabbr=off.

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Stellar characteristics

Kepler-22 is slightly smaller and cooler than the Sun,[1] with a lower abundance of elements having more mass than helium. It has a spectral type of G5V, while the luminosity class remains undetermined. This star is radiating 79% of the Sun's luminosity from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of 5,518 K, giving it the yellow-hued glow of a G-type star. A projected rotational velocity of 0.6 km/s suggests it has a long period of rotation. No flare activity has been detected.

Planetary system

On December 5, 2011, scientists from the Kepler mission announced that an exoplanet, Kepler-22b, had been discovered orbiting in the star's habitable zone by NASA's Kepler spacecraft.[2] This was significant in that it was the first relatively small exoplanet (about) confirmed to be orbiting within a star's habitable zone.[3] Its size suggests that it is not a rocky planet and is more likely to be a mini-Neptune or ocean world; while its mass has not been measured, radial velocity observations have set an upper limit of .

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Universe Today . Kepler Confirms First Planet in Habitable Zone of Sun-Like Star . 2011-12-05 .
  2. Web site: Kepler Team Confirms First Earth-like planet in a habitable zone, And Finds 1,094 More Worlds . Popular Science . December 5, 2011 . December 5, 2011 . Boyle, Rebecca .
  3. Web site: Space.com . NASA Telescope Confirms Alien Planet in Habitable Zone . 2011-12-05 .