description Kepler-442 Overview
Kepler-442 is an orange K-type main-sequence star located approximately 1,200 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Lyra. It hosts a confirmed exoplanet, Kepler-442b, a super-Earth roughly 2.3 times the mass of Earth that orbits within the star's habitable zone. The planet was discovered by the Kepler space telescope and has one of the higher Earth Similarity Index ratings among known exoplanets. The star itself is cooler and somewhat smaller than the Sun, with an estimated age of around 2.9 billion years.
help Kepler-442 FAQ
Is Kepler-442b confirmed to be habitable?
No, being in a calculated habitable zone only means that surface liquid water could be possible under suitable atmospheric conditions. No atmosphere, ocean, or life has been detected on Kepler-442b.
How large is Kepler-442b compared with Earth?
NASA lists Kepler-442b at about 1.34 times Earth's radius and classifies it as a super-Earth. Its precise composition is unknown because a radius does not by itself establish whether a planet is rocky.
How long is a year on Kepler-442b?
Kepler-442b completes an orbit in about 112.3 Earth days at a distance of roughly 0.41 astronomical units from its star. That closer orbit can still lie in the habitable zone because Kepler-442 is cooler and dimmer than the Sun.
How was the planet around Kepler-442 discovered?
NASA's Kepler space telescope detected repeated dips in the star's brightness as Kepler-442b crossed in front of it. The planet was announced as confirmed in 2015 using the transit method.
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