K2-72c
Discovery
Discovery dateJuly 18, 2016
Transit
Orbital characteristics
0.0722 ± 0.0091 AU (10,800,000 ± 1,360,000 km)[1]
15.1871±0.0032[1] d
StarK2-72[1]
Physical characteristics
Mean radius
0.860±0.220 [1] R🜨

K2-72c is a small exoplanet orbiting around the red dwarf star K2-72 approximately 227.7 light-years away. It is located in the inner edge of the habitable zone.[2] K2-72c completes an orbit in 15.2 days, and it has a radius of only 86% of that of the Earth.

Host star

Main article: K2-72

The planet orbits a (M-type) red dwarf star named K2-72, orbited by a total of four planets, of which K2-72e has the longest orbital period. The star has a mass of 0.27 M☉ and a radius of 0.33 R☉. It has a temperature of 3360 K and its age is unknown. In comparison, the Sun is 4.6 billion years old[3] and has a surface temperature of 5778 K.[4]

The star's apparent magnitude, or how bright it appears from Earth's perspective, is 15.309. Therefore, it is too dim to be seen with the naked eye and can only be observed with a telescope.

Discovery

The planet, along with the other three planets in the K2-72 system, were announced in mid-July 2016 as part of the new results from the second mission of the Kepler spacecraft.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "K2-72c CONFIRMED PLANET OVERVIEW PAGE". NASA Exoplanet Archive. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  2. ^ Mike Wall (18 July 2016). "2 Newfound Alien Planets May Be Capable of Supporting Life". Space.com. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  3. ^ Cain, Fraser (16 September 2008). "How Old is the Sun?". Universe Today. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  4. ^ Fraser Cain (15 September 2008). "Temperature of the Sun". Universe Today. Retrieved 19 February 2011.


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