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2 known planets · 1,445 light years

Kepler-278

Kepler-278 is a orange dwarf (K2 III-IV) 1,445 light years away, with 2 confirmed planets. Distances and orbital speeds are to scale; the star and planets are enlarged so you can see them.

Day 0
habitable zone (estimate)planet orbits

Green band: where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Drag to turn the system, pinch or scroll to zoom.

The star

The star

Kepler-278

Type
K2 III-IV
Surface
≈ 4,965 K
Size
2.86 × the Sun
Mass
1.23 × the Sun
Brightness
4.46 × the Sun
Habitable zone
1.66–4.01 AU

The planets

Kepler-278

Kepler-278 b

Year
30.16 days
Distance from star
0.202 AU
Mass
56 Earths
Size
4 × Earth
Temperature
≈ 586 K (+313 °C)
Found
2014, transit (Kepler)
Too hot
Kepler-278

Kepler-278 c

Year
51.11 days
Distance from star
0.287 AU
Mass
35 Earths
Size
3.3 × Earth
Temperature
≈ 492 K (+219 °C)
Found
2014, transit (Kepler)
Too hot

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

  1. 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.
  2. Position: HYG Database v4.1 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
  3. Habitable zone: a simple estimate from the star's brightness (√L × 0.95 to 1.67 AU), shown as a guide.
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