astronomy

Kepler-1652b

Kepler-1652b 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-1652b rather than just read about it. In short: Kepler-1652b (also known by its Kepler Objects of Interest designation KOI-2626.01) is a super-Earth exoplanet, orbiting within the habitable zone of the red dwarf Kepler-1652 about 822 light-years away in the Cygnus constellation. Discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft, Kepler-1652b was first announced as a candidate in 2013, but wasn't validated until four years later in 2017.

Key takeaways

Kepler-1652b 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-1652b to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kepler-1652b from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Kepler-1652b (also known by its Kepler Objects of Interest designation KOI-2626.01) is a super-Earth exoplanet, orbiting within the habitable zone of the red dwarf Kepler-1652 about 822 light-years away in the Cygnus constellation. Discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft, Kepler-1652b was first announced as a candidate in 2013, but wasn't validated until four years later in 2017. It is a potential super-Earth with 160% Earth's radius. The planet orbits well within the habitable zone of its system, the region where liquid water can exist on a planet's surface. The planet is an eyeball planet candidate.

Characteristics

Mass, radius, and temperature Kepler-1652b, like almost all of Kepler's known exoplanets, was found with the transit method, where a planet blocks a tiny fraction of its host star's light when it passed between the star and Earth's line of sight. As a result, the only well-established parameter is its radius. Based on the size of the star and the amount of light blocked, Kepler-1652b has a radius of 1.60 R🜨, within the super-Earth range between the sizes of Earth and the ice giants Uranus and Neptune. Usually, the transition between rocky Super-Earths and gaseous Mini-Neptunes is expected to be at 1.6 R🜨, which would suggest that Kepler-1652b may be a small ice giant or ocean planet. Kepler-1652b has a planetary equilibrium temperature of 268 K (−5 °C; 23 °F), similar to Earth's at 255 K (−18 °C; −1 °F).

Orbit Kepler-1652b has an orbital period of 38.1 days, over 9 times shorter than Earth's year of 365 days. It has a semi-major axis, or average orbital radius, of 0.1654 AU, also much lower than Earth's. Despite its close proximity to the star, Kepler-1652b is still temperate, due to how small Kepler-1652 is compared to the Sun. The planet's eccentricity is believed to be near or at 0.

Host star Kepler-1652b orbits the red dwarf star Kepler-1652, also designated KOI-2626. It is 0.404 times the mass and 0.382 times the radius of the Sun, with a temperature of 3638 K and an age of 3.2 billion years. For comparison, the Sun has a temperature of 5778 K and is 4.5 billion years old. Kepler-1652 is about 1.6 to 2.6% as luminous as the Sun. The apparent magnitude of the star is 10.22.

Habitability

Kepler-1652b's placement within the habitable zone does not ensure its habitability. Multiple other factors are included, such as composition, atmosphere, and the amount of radiation the planet receives. Kepler-1652b has a temperature very similar to that of Earth, and gets about 81% the sunlight Earth does. This places it well within the conservative habitable zone and means it is unlikely to suffer a runaway greenhouse effect. While the planet is most likely tidally locked to its star, which would result in one side being in permanent day and another side in permanent night, a thick atmosphere—if one exists—can distribute heat evenly around the planet, allowing for more areas to retain liquid water. The large size of Kepler-1652b decreases its chances of habitability. Most planets with radii of ≥ 1.6 R🜨 are expected to either be entirely covered in thick oceans or be more akin to the ice giants like Uranus or Neptune. Without a rocky surface, life may never be able to develop on a planet. Red dwarfs like Kepler-1652 can produce very strong flares, much more powerful than what the Sun produces, which could erode away the atmosphere of orbiting planets, compromising their habitability. While not all red dwarfs are this active, a strong magnetic field can still help keep the worst of the host star's radiation from reaching the planetary surface, protecting any possible life.

See also K2-3d and LHS 1140 b, two other high-density potentially habitable planets. Mega-Earth Habitability of red dwarf systems

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kepler-1652b

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kepler-1652b 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-1652b 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-1652b 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-1652b

In research: Kepler-1652b 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-1652b 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-1652b is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cygnus (constellation), Exoplanets discovered by the Kepler space telescope, Exoplanets discovered in 2017, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kepler-1652b 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-1652b in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kepler-1652b 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-1652b out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kepler-1652b in simple terms?

Why does Kepler-1652b 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-1652b?

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-1652b.