The star
The star
Kepler-46
- Type
- K
- Surface
- ≈ 5,309 K
- Size
- 0.79 × the Sun
- Mass
- 0.88 × the Sun
- Brightness
- 0.556 × the Sun
- Habitable zone
- 0.575–1.37 AU
The planets
Kepler-46
Kepler-46 d
- Year
- 6.77 days
- Distance from star
- 0.067 AU
- Mass
- 3.3 Earths
- Size
- 1.6 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 845 K (+572 °C)
- Found
- 2014, transit (Kepler)
Kepler-46
Kepler-46 b
- Year
- 33.60 days
- Distance from star
- 0.197 AU
- Mass
- 6 Jupiters
- Size
- 9.1 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 543 K (+270 °C)
- Found
- 2012, transit (Kepler)
Kepler-46
Kepler-46 c
- Year
- 57.01 days
- Distance from star
- 0.28 AU
- Mass
- 1.2e+02 Earths
- Size
- 14 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 455 K (+182 °C)
- Found
- 2012, transit timing variations (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.
Early and late
A known planet arrives early or late for its transits, betraying the pull of another, unseen planet.
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.