The star
The star
K2-16
- Type
- K3 V
- Surface
- ≈ 4,742 K
- Size
- 0.66 × the Sun
- Mass
- 0.68 × the Sun
- Brightness
- 0.173 × the Sun
- Habitable zone
- 0.33–0.806 AU
The planets
K2-16
K2-16 b
- Year
- 7.62 days
- Distance from star
- 0.0667 AU
- Mass
- 4.7 Earths
- Size
- 2 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 658 K (+385 °C)
- Found
- 2015, transit (K2)
K2-16
K2-16 c
- Year
- 19.08 days
- Distance from star
- 0.123 AU
- Mass
- 7 Earths
- Size
- 2.5 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 485 K (+212 °C)
- Found
- 2015, transit (K2)
K2-16
EPIC 201754305 d
- Year
- 2.72 days
- Distance from star
- 0.0335 AU
- Mass
- 1.1 Earths
- Size
- 1 × Earth
- Found
- 2019, transit (K2)
Masses found by the wobble method are minimums, because the orbit's tilt is unknown. Temperatures are equilibrium estimates for a bare planet, before any atmosphere.
How we know
The shadow
The planet passes in front of its star and dims it by a fraction of a percent, every orbit. The dip gives the planet's size and year.
Sources
- Planet and star parameters: NASA Exoplanet Archive, Planetary Systems Composite Parameters, retrieved 1 Nov 2026. This research has made use of the NASA Exoplanet Archive, which is operated by the California Institute of Technology, under contract with NASA under the Exoplanet Exploration Program.
- Position: HYG Database v4.1 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Habitable zone: a simple estimate from the star's brightness (√L × 0.95 to 1.67 AU), shown as a guide.