The star
The star
K2-266
- Type
- orange dwarf
- Surface
- ≈ 4,285 K
- Size
- 0.70 × the Sun
- Mass
- 0.69 × the Sun
- Brightness
- 0.15 × the Sun
- Habitable zone
- 0.312–0.779 AU
The planets
K2-266
K2-266 b
- Year
- 0.66 days
- Distance from star
- 0.0131 AU
- Mass
- at least 11 Earths
- Size
- 3.3 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 1515 K (+1242 °C)
- Found
- 2018, transit (K2)
K2-266
K2-266 c
- Year
- 7.81 days
- Distance from star
- 0.0679 AU
- Mass
- at least 0.29 Earths
- Size
- 0.7 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 664 K (+391 °C)
- Found
- 2018, transit (K2)
K2-266
K2-266 d
- Year
- 14.70 days
- Distance from star
- 0.103 AU
- Mass
- 8.9 Earths
- Size
- 2.9 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 538 K (+265 °C)
- Found
- 2018, transit (K2)
K2-266
K2-266 e
- Year
- 19.48 days
- Distance from star
- 0.125 AU
- Mass
- 14 Earths
- Size
- 2.7 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 490 K (+217 °C)
- Found
- 2018, 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.