Kepler-68b is an exoplanet orbiting the Sun-like star Kepler-68 in the constellation of Cygnus. Discovered by planetary-transit methods by the Kepler space telescope in February 2013, it has a radius of 2.31 ± 0.07 that of Earth and a density of 2.46–4.3 g/cm3. It has an orbital period of 5.398763 days at a distance of about 0.0617 AU from its star.[1] Doppler measurements were made to determine its mass to be 5.79 times that of Earth (0.026 MJ).[4]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Gilliland et al. |
| Discovery site | Kepler Space Observatory |
| Discovery date | 2013 |
Detection method | Transits, and transit-timing variations |
| Designations | |
Alternative names | KOI-246.01[2] |
| Orbital characteristics[3][1] | |
Semi-major axis | 0.06170±0.00056 AU |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 5.398763 d |
| Inclination | 87.60±0.90 º |
| Semi-amplitude | 2.7+0.48 −0.46 m/s |
| Star | Kepler-68 |
| Physical characteristics[3] | |
Mean radius | 2.31+0.06 −0.09 R🜨 |
| Mass | 7.65+1.37 −1.32 M🜨 |
With a density of 2.6 g/cm3 it has physical characteristics of both a super-Earth and a mini-Neptune.[4]
Kepler-68 system | |
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