The star
The star
Kepler-26
- Type
- M0 V
- Surface
- ≈ 3,914 K
- Size
- 0.51 × the Sun
- Mass
- 0.54 × the Sun
- Brightness
- 0.087 × the Sun
- Habitable zone
- 0.24–0.609 AU
The planets
Kepler-26
Kepler-26 d
- Year
- 3.54 days
- Distance from star
- 0.039 AU
- Mass
- 1.2 Earths
- Size
- 1.1 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 652 K (+379 °C)
- Found
- 2014, transit (Kepler)
Kepler-26
Kepler-26 b
- Year
- 12.28 days
- Distance from star
- 0.0855 AU
- Mass
- 5.1 Earths
- Size
- 2.8 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 431 K (+158 °C)
- Found
- 2011, transit (Kepler)
Kepler-26
Kepler-26 c
- Year
- 17.26 days
- Distance from star
- 0.107 AU
- Mass
- 6.2 Earths
- Size
- 2.7 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 385 K (+112 °C)
- Found
- 2011, transit (Kepler)
Kepler-26
Kepler-26 e
- Year
- 46.83 days
- Distance from star
- 0.22 AU
- Mass
- 6.4 Earths
- Size
- 2.4 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 276 K (+3 °C)
- Found
- 2014, transit (Kepler)
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.