astronomy

Kepler-1649c

Kepler-1649c is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kepler-1649c rather than just read about it. In short: Kepler-1649c is an Earth-sized exoplanet, likely rocky, orbiting within the habitable zone of the red dwarf star Kepler-1649, the outermost planet of the planetary system discovered by Kepler’s space telescope. It is located about 301 light-years (92 pc) away from Earth, in the constellation of Cygnus.

Key takeaways

Kepler-1649c belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kepler-1649c to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kepler-1649c from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Kepler-1649c is an Earth-sized exoplanet, likely rocky, orbiting within the habitable zone of the red dwarf star Kepler-1649, the outermost planet of the planetary system discovered by Kepler’s space telescope. It is located about 301 light-years (92 pc) away from Earth, in the constellation of Cygnus. Kepler-1649c orbits its star a distance of 0.0649 AU (9.71 million km; 6.03 million mi) from its host star with an orbital period of roughly 19.53 days, has a mass 1.2x times that of Earth, and has a radius of around 1.02 times that of Earth. Based on its mass and radius, it is likely a terrestrial planet, though its proximity to its star means it may likely be tidally locked. Kepler-1649c is estimated to receive about three-quarters of radiation from its host star as Earth does from the Sun. In 2017, Jeff Coughlin, the director of SETI's K2 Science Office, described it as the most "similar planet to Earth" found so far by the Kepler Space Telescope. The planet was initially deemed a false positive by Kepler's robovetter algorithm. The Kepler False Positive Working Group published its recovery on April 15, 2020. Its first scientific description was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, with first author Andrew Vanderburg, in April 2020.

Physical characteristics

Mass, radius and temperature The exoplanet was identified as a rocky planet by NASA and is very similar to Earth in terms of size, with a radius 1.06 times that of Earth.

Host star

Kepler-1649 is a type-M red dwarf star estimated to be roughly ¼ the radius of the Sun with only two confirmed planets in its orbit, the other being Kepler-1649b. Kepler-1649b is similar to Venus from our own solar system in two ways: both Kepler-1649b and Venus have orbits roughly half the radius of the next known planets (Kepler-1649c and Earth respectively), and they are of similar size.

Orbit Kepler-1649c takes only 19.5 Earth days to orbit its host star Kepler-1649, an M-Type red dwarf. It orbits within the habitable zone of its star system, Kepler-1649.

Habitability

While the exoplanet does orbit within its star's habitable zone, due to the lack of information on the exoplanet's atmosphere, it is unclear if Kepler-1649c can sustain liquid water on its surface. As of 2021, no solar flare-ups have yet been observed from the host star; nonetheless, scientists believe that such stars are prone to frequent solar flare activity, and that such flares may have stripped the exoplanet's atmosphere and hindered the prospect of life.

Climate Very little is known of Kepler-1649c's climate. It receives 75% of the light from its host star that Earth receives from the Sun; therefore, depending on the atmosphere, its surface temperature may be similar enough to the temperature of the Earth that liquid water may be present. It is unclear what the composition of Kepler-1649c's atmosphere is. Orbital evolution models show that significant oscillations of eccentricity are likely under the mutual gravitational influence of Kepler 1649c, Kepler 1649b, and a postulated intermediate planet, but the climate would remain Earth-like for most initial parameters.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kepler-1649c

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kepler-1649c claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kepler-1649c before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kepler-1649c ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kepler-1649c

In research: Kepler-1649c appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kepler-1649c in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kepler-1649c is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Exoplanets discovered by the Kepler space telescope, Exoplanets discovered in 2020, Near-Earth-sized exoplanets in the habitable zone, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kepler-1649c outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kepler-1649c in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kepler-1649c means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kepler-1649c out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kepler-1649c in simple terms?

Why does Kepler-1649c matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kepler-1649c?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kepler-1649c.