Astronomy: Kepler-442b

Astronomy: Kepler-442b
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Concepts & Techniques
Kepler-442b Kepler-442b (also known by its Kepler object of interest designation KOI-4742.01) is a confirmed near-Earth-sized exoplanet, likely rocky, orbiting within the habitable zone of the K-type main-sequence star Kepler-442, about 1,196 light-years (367 pc) from Earth in the constellation of Lyra. The planet orbits its host star at a distance of about 0.409 AU (61.2 million km; 38.0 million mi) with an orbital period of roughly 112.3 days.

Commentary

Commentary

Kepler-442b Kepler-442b (also known by its Kepler object of interest designation KOI-4742.01) is a confirmed near-Earth-sized exoplanet, likely rocky, orbiting within the habitable zone of the K-type main-sequence star Kepler- 442, about 1,196 light-years (367 pc) from Earth in the constellation of Lyra. The planet orbits its host star at a distance of about 0.409 AU (61.2 million km; 38.0 million mi) with an orbital period of roughly 112.3 days. It has a mass of around 2.3 and has a radius of about 1.34 times that of Earth. Why Kepler-442b matters: These foundational ideas and techniques are the tools astronomers use to measure, classify, and understand everything from nearby planets to the most distant galaxies. The planet was discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft using the transit method, in which it measures the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star. NASA announced the confirmation of the exoplanet on 6 January 2015. Deep dive: Kepler-442b NASA announced the confirmation of the exoplanet on 6 January 2015. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler-442b (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
Sources: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)