Kepler-442b

Coordinates: 19h 01m 27.98s, +39° 16′ 48.30″

Kepler-442b[1][4][5] (also known by its Kepler object of interest

Kepler-442b
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[6] Kepler-442, about 1,206 light-years
(370 pc) from Earth in the constellation of Lyra.[4][5]

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 Approximate size comparison of
of about 1.34 times that of Earth. It is one of the more promising Kepler-442b (left) with Earth
candidates for potential habitability, as its parent star is at least Discovery
40% less massive than the Sun – thus, it can have a lifespan of Discovered by Kepler spacecraft
about 30 billion years.[7]
Discovery date 6 January
The planet was discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft using 2015[1][2]
the transit method, in which it measures the dimming effect that a Detection Transit
planet causes as it crosses in front of its star. NASA announced method
the confirmation of the exoplanet on 6 January 2015.[5]
Orbital characteristics
Semi-major +0.209
Physical characteristics axis
0.409 −0.060 AU

Eccentricity +0.08
0.04 −0.04[1]
Mass, radius, and temperature Orbital period +0.0024
112.3053 −0.0028[1]
(sidereal)
d
Kepler-442b is a super-Earth, an exoplanet with a mass and radius
Inclination +0.06
bigger than Earth's but smaller than the ice giants Uranus and 89.94 −0.12[1]
Neptune. It has an equilibrium temperature of 233 K (−40 °C;
Star Kepler-442 (KOI-
−40 °F).[3] It has a radius of 1.34 R🜨. Because of its radius, it is
4742)
likely to be a rocky planet with a solid surface. The mass of the
exoplanet is estimated to be 2.36 MEarth .[8] The surface gravity on Physical characteristics
Kepler-442b would be 30% stronger than Earth, assuming a Mean radius +0.11
1.34 −0.18[1] R🜨
rocky composition similar to that of Earth.[9] +5.9
Mass 2.3 −1.3[3] MEarth
Temperature Teq: 233 K
Host star (−40 °C; −40 °F)

The planet orbits a (K-type) star named Kepler-442. The star has
a mass of 0.61 M☉ and a radius of 0.60 R☉ . It has a temperature of 4,402 K (4,129 °C; 7,464 °F) and is
around 2.9 billion years old, with some uncertainty. In comparison, our Sun is 4.6 billion years old[10] and
has a temperature of 5,778 K (5,505 °C; 9,941 °F).[11] The star is somewhat metal-poor, with a metallicity
(Fe/H) of −0.37, or 43% of the solar amount.[1] Its luminosity (L☉ ) is 12% that of the Sun.
The star's apparent magnitude, or how bright it appears from Earth's perspective, is 14.76. Therefore, it is
too dim to be seen with the naked eye.

Orbit

Kepler-442b orbits its host star with an orbital period of 112 days. It has an orbital radius of about 0.4 AU
(60 million km; 37 million mi) (slightly larger than the distance of Mercury from the Sun, which is
approximately 0.38 AU (57 million km; 35 million mi)).[4][5] It receives about 70% of Earth's sunlight from
the Sun.

Habitability
The planet is in the habitable zone of its star, a region where
liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. It is one of the
most Earth-like planets yet found in size and temperature.[4][5]
It is just outside the zone (around 0.362 AU (54.2 million km;
33.7 million mi)) in which tidal forces from its host star would
be enough to fully tidally lock it.[8] As of July 2018, Kepler-
442b was considered the most habitable non-tidally-locked
exoplanet discovered.[12]

Confirmed small exoplanets in habitable

zones (artist's impressions). Stellar factors
(Kepler-62e, 62f, 186f, 296e, 296f, 438b,
440b, 442b)[5] K-type main-sequence stars are smaller than the Sun and live
longer, remaining on the main sequence for 18 to 34 billion
years compared to the Sun's estimated lifespan of 10 billion
years. Despite these properties, the small M-type and K-type stars can threaten life.[13] Because of their
[7]
high stellar activity at the beginning of their lives, they emit strong solar winds. The duration of this period
is inversely linked to the size of the star.[14] However, because of the uncertainty of the age of Kepler-442,
it is likely it may have passed this stage, making Kepler-442b potentially more suitable for habitability.

Tidal effects and further reviews

Because Kepler-442b is closer to its star than Earth is to the Sun, the planet will probably rotate much more
slowly than Earth; its day could be weeks or months long (see Tidal effects on rotation rate, axial tilt, and
orbit). This is reflected in its orbital distance, just outside of the point where the tidal interactions from its
star would be strong enough to tidally lock it. Kepler-442b's axial tilt (obliquity) is likely tiny, in which case
it would not have tilt-induced seasons as Earth and Mars do. Its orbit is probably close to circular
(eccentricity 0.04), so it will also lack eccentricity-induced seasonal changes like Mars.

One review essay in 2015 concluded that Kepler-442b, Kepler-186f, and Kepler-62f were likely the best
candidates for being potentially habitable planets.[15] Also, according to an index developed in 2015,
Kepler-442b is even more likely to be habitable than a hypothetical "Earth twin" with physical and orbital
parameters matching those of Earth. Going by this index, Earth has a rating of 0.829, but Kepler-442b has
a rating of 0.836.[16] The actual habitability is uncertain because Kepler-442b's atmosphere and surface are
unknown. The paper introducing the habitability index clarifies that a higher-than-Earth value "does not
mean these planets are 'more habitable' than Earth".[17]

Discovery and follow-up studies

In 2009, NASA's Kepler spacecraft was completing observing stars on its photometer, the instrument it
uses to detect transit events when a planet crosses in front of and dims its host star for a brief and roughly
regular period. In this last test, Kepler observed 50,000 stars in the Kepler Input Catalog, including Kepler-
442; the telescope sent the preliminary light curves to the Kepler science team for analysis, who chose
prominent planetary companions from the bunch for follow-up at observatories. Observations for the
potential exoplanet candidates took place between 13 May 2009 and 17 March 2012. After observing the
respective transits, which for Kepler-442b occurred roughly every 113 days (its orbital period), the
scientists eventually concluded that a planetary body was responsible for the periodic 113-day transits. The
discovery, along with the unique planetary systems of the stars Kepler-438 and Kepler-440, was announced
on 6 January 2015.[1]

At nearly 370 parsecs (1,200 ly) distant, Kepler-442b is too remote and its star too far for current telescopes
or the next generation of planned telescopes to determine its mass or whether it has an atmosphere. The
Kepler spacecraft focused on a single small region of the sky. Still, next-generation planet-hunting space
telescopes, such as TESS and CHEOPS, will examine nearby stars throughout the sky.

The James Webb Space Telescope and future large ground-based telescopes can then study nearby stars
with planets to analyze atmospheres, determine masses, and infer compositions. Additionally, the Square
Kilometer Array would significantly improve radio observations over the Arecibo Observatory and Green
Bank Telescope.[18]

See also
List of potentially habitable exoplanets
Kepler-62f
Kepler-186f
Kepler-452b
Kepler-440b
Kepler-438b

References
1. Torres, Guillermo; Kipping, David M.; Fressin, Francois; Caldwell, Douglas A.; Twicken,
Joseph D.; Ballard, Sarah; Batalha, Natalie M.; Bryson, Stephen T.; Ciardi, David R.; Henze,
Christopher E.; Howell, Steve B.; Isaacson, Howard T.; Jenkins, Jon M.; Muirhead, Philip S.;
Newton, Elisabeth R.; Petigura, Erik A.; Barclay, Thomas; Borucki, William J.; Crepp, Justin
R.; Everett, Mark E.; Horch, Elliott P.; Howard, Andrew W.; Kolbl, Rea; Marcy, Geoffrey W.;
McCauliff, Sean; Quintana, Elisa V. (2015). "Validation of Twelve Small Kepler Transiting
Planets in the Habitable Zone". The Astrophysical Journal. 800 (2): 99. arXiv:1501.01101 (ht
tps://arxiv.org/abs/1501.01101). Bibcode:2015ApJ...800...99T (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/
abs/2015ApJ...800...99T). doi:10.1088/0004-637X/800/2/99 (https://doi.org/10.1088%2F000
4-637X%2F800%2F2%2F99). S2CID 8512655 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:85
12655).
 2. Staff (2015). "Planet Kepler-442 b" (http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/kepler-442_b/). The
Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
3. "HEC: Data of Potential Habitable Worlds" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120601044944/ht
tp://phl.upr.edu/projects/habitable-exoplanets-catalog/data). Archived from the original (http
s://phl.upr.edu/projects/habitable-exoplanets-catalog/data) on 1 June 2012. Retrieved
25 January 2015.
4. Sample, Ian (7 January 2015). "Kepler 438b: Most Earth-like planet ever discovered could
be home for alien life" (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/06/earth-like-planet-al
ien-life-kepler-438b). The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
5. Clavin, Whitney; Chou, Felicia; Johnson, Michele (6 January 2015). "NASA's Kepler Marks
1,000th Exoplanet Discovery, Uncovers More Small Worlds in Habitable Zones" (http://www.
jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2015-003). NASA. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
6. Gilster, Paul (6 January 2015). "AAS: 8 New Planets in Habitable Zone" (http://www.centauri
-dreams.org/?p=32236). Centauri-dreams.org. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
7. Fraser Cain (4 February 2009). "Star Main Sequence" (http://www.universetoday.com/2464
3/star-main-sequence/). Universe Today. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
8. "Planetary Habitability Laboratory at University of Puerto Rico" (https://web.archive.org/web/
20120108040818/http://phl.upr.edu/projects/habitable-exoplanets-catalog/results). Archived
from the original (https://phl.upr.edu/projects/habitable-exoplanets-catalog/results) on 8
January 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
9. Extrapolated from the information given in "HEC: Data of Potentially Habitable Worlds -
Planetary Habitability Laboratory @ UPR Arecibo" (https://web.archive.org/web/2012060104
4944/http://phl.upr.edu/projects/habitable-exoplanets-catalog/data). phl.upr.edu. Archived
from the original (https://phl.upr.edu/projects/habitable-exoplanets-catalog/data) on 1 June
2012. Retrieved 15 September 2015. Using a planetary composition similar to earth.
10. Fraser Cain (16 September 2008). "How Old is the Sun?" (http://www.universetoday.com/18
237/how-old-is-the-sun/). Universe Today. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
11. Fraser Cain (15 September 2008). "Temperature of the Sun" (http://www.universetoday.com/
18092/temperature-of-the-sun/). Universe Today. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
12. "HEC: Data of Potentially Habitable Worlds - Planetary Habitability Laboratory @ UPR
Arecibo" (https://web.archive.org/web/20180830190724/http://phl.upr.edu/projects/habitable-
exoplanets-catalog/data). phl.upr.edu. Archived from the original (https://phl.upr.edu/projects/
habitable-exoplanets-catalog/data) on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
13. "Red Dwarf Stars May Be Best Chance for Habitable Alien Planets" (http://www.space.com/
14659-red-dwarf-stars-planets-habitable-zones.html). Space.com. 23 February 2012.
Retrieved 4 October 2015.
14. "Can Life Thrive Around a Red Dwarf Star?" (http://www.space.com/6560-life-thrive-red-dwa
rf-star.html). Space.com. 9 April 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
15. Paul Gilster, Andrew LePage (30 January 2015). "A Review of the Best Habitable Planet
Candidates" (http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=32470). Centauri Dreams, Tau Zero
Foundation. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
16. Orphanides, K.G. "Kepler-442b is more habitable than Earth" (https://www.wired.co.uk/articl
e/kepler-442b-more-habitable-earth). Wired UK.
17. Barnes, Rory; Meadows, Victoria S.; Evans, Nicole (19 November 2015). "Comparative
Habitability of Transiting Exoplanets" (https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/8
14/2/91). The Astrophysical Journal. 814 (2): 91. arXiv:1509.08922 (https://arxiv.org/abs/150
9.08922). Bibcode:2015ApJ...814...91B (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015ApJ...814...9
1B). doi:10.1088/0004-637X/814/2/91 (https://doi.org/10.1088%2F0004-637X%2F814%2F
2%2F91). ISSN 1538-4357 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1538-4357). S2CID 20623896 (htt
ps://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:20623896).
18. Siemion, Andrew P.V.; Demorest, Paul; Korpela, Eric; Maddalena, Ron J.; Werthimer, Dan;
Cobb, Jeff; Langston, Glen; Lebofsky, Matt; Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Tarter, Jill (3 February 2013).
"A 1.1 to 1.9 GHz SETI Survey of the Kepler Field: I. A Search for Narrow-band Emission
from Select Targets". Astrophysical Journal. 767 (1): 94. arXiv:1302.0845 (https://arxiv.org/ab
s/1302.0845). Bibcode:2013ApJ...767...94S (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013ApJ...76
7...94S). doi:10.1088/0004-637X/767/1/94 (https://doi.org/10.1088%2F0004-637X%2F767%
2F1%2F94). S2CID 119302350 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:119302350).

External links
NASA – Mission overview (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/overview/index.htm
l).
NASA – Kepler Discoveries – Summary Table (https://web.archive.org/web/2010052710431
6/http://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/discoveries/).
NASA – Kepler-442b (http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/DisplayOverview/nph-
DisplayOverview?objname=Kepler-442+b&type=CONFIRMED_PLANET) at The NASA
Exoplanet Archive.
NASA – Kepler-442b (http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/kepler-442_b/) at Extrasolar Planets
Encyclopaedia.
Habitable Exolanets Catalog (https://phl.upr.edu/projects/habitable-exoplanets-catalog) at
UPR-Arecibo.

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