The star
The star
Kepler-279
- Type
- white star
- Surface
- ≈ 6,689 K
- Size
- 1.43 × the Sun
- Mass
- 1.16 × the Sun
- Brightness
- 3.3 × the Sun
- Habitable zone
- 1.29–2.99 AU
The planets
Kepler-279
Kepler-279 b
- Year
- 12.31 days
- Distance from star
- 0.112 AU
- Mass
- 13 Jupiters
- Size
- 3.6 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 1104 K (+831 °C)
- Found
- 2014, transit (Kepler)
Kepler-279
Kepler-279 c
- Year
- 35.74 days
- Distance from star
- 0.224 AU
- Mass
- 49 Earths
- Size
- 4.3 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 774 K (+501 °C)
- Found
- 2013, transit (Kepler)
Kepler-279
Kepler-279 d
- Year
- 54.41 days
- Distance from star
- 0.29 AU
- Mass
- 38 Earths
- Size
- 3.1 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 574 K (+301 °C)
- Found
- 2013, transit (Kepler)
Kepler-279
Kepler-279 e
- Year
- 98.35 days
- Distance from star
- 0.439 AU
- Mass
- 56 Earths
- Size
- 4.1 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 552 K (+279 °C)
- Found
- 2025, 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.