| Kepler-277c | |
| Discovery Site: | Kepler Space Observatory |
| Discovered: | 2014 |
| Discovery Method: | Transit |
| Apsis: | astron |
| Semimajor: | ~0.209 AU |
| Eccentricity: | null[1] |
| Period: | 33.006 d |
| Inclination: | null |
| Mean Radius: | 3.36 |
| Mass: | 64.2 [2] |
| Density: | g cm−3 |
| Surface Grav: | g |
| Single Temperature: | 745K[3] |
Kepler-277c (also known by its Kepler Objects of Interest designation KOI-1215.02) is the third most massive and second-largest rocky planet ever discovered, with a mass about 64 times that of Earth. Discovered in 2014 by the Kepler Space Telescope, Kepler-277c is a Neptune-sized exoplanet with a very high mass and density for an object of its radius, suggesting a composition made mainly of rock with some amounts of water. Along with its sister planet, Kepler-277b, the planet's mass was determined using transit-timing variations (TTVs).
Kepler-277c was detected using the transit method and TTVs, allowing for both its mass and radius to be determined to some level. It is approximately 3.36, close to the size of Neptune. At that radius, most planets should be gaseous Mini-Neptunes with no solid surface. However, the mass of Kepler-277c is extremely high for its size. Transit-timing variations indicate a planetary mass of about 64.2,[1] close to Saturn's mass at 95.16 . The planet has a density of approximately 9.33 g/cm3 and about 5.7 times the surface gravity of Earth. Such a high density for an object of this size implies that, like its sister planet, Kepler-277c is an enormous rock-based planet with a small portion of its mass as water.[2] It is currently the third most massive and second largest terrestrial planet ever discovered, behind Kepler-277b in mass[4] and PSR J1719-1438 b in both radius and mass.[5] Due to its proximity to its host star, Kepler-277c is quite hot with an equilibrium temperature of about 745K,[3] hot enough to melt certain metals.
Kepler-277c orbits close to its host star, with one orbit lasting 33.006 days.[1] Its semi-major axis, or average distance from the parent object, is about 0.209 AU. For comparison, the planet Mercury takes 88 days to orbit the Sun at a distance of 0.38 AU. At this distance, Kepler-277c is very hot and most likely tidally locked to its host star. It is close to a 1:2 resonance with Kepler-277b, which orbits at an average distance of about 0.136 AU.
See main article: Kepler-277. The parent star Kepler-277 is a large yellow star. It is 1.69 and 1.12, with a temperature of 5946 K, a metallicity of -0.315 [Fe/H], and an unknown age.[1] For comparison, the Sun has a temperature of 5778 K, a metallicity of 0.00 [Fe/H], and an age of about 4.5 billion years. The large radius in comparison to its mass and temperature suggest that Kepler-277 could be a Subgiant star.