Host star — Kepler-1362
- Spectral type
- —
- Temperature
- 4,857 K
- Radius
- 0.74 R☉
- Mass
- 0.80 M☉
- Luminosity
- 0.250 L☉
- Distance
- 731.3 pc (2,385 ly)
Cooler than the Sun. Orange or red dwarf.
Kepler-1362 b
Orbits Kepler-1362 · 2,385 light-years from Earth
Neptune-likeTransit2016ESI 81 · Very Earth-like
Radius
2.60×
Earth
Mass
7.3×
Earth
Year
136d
Temp
248 K
-25°C
Gravity
1.1×
Earth
Distance
2,385
ly
Could life exist here?
AI analysisKepler-1362 b orbits a cool red dwarf star roughly 2,400 light-years away, completing each lap in 136 days at a distance of 0.46 AU—closer than Mercury to our Sun. The planet is a Neptune-like world with a radius 2.6 times Earth's and a density of 2.27 grams per cubic centimeter, suggesting a solid or icy core wrapped in a thicker atmosphere than Earth's. Its equilibrium temperature of 248 Kelvin (minus 25 degrees Celsius) places it in the frigid zone where water would be frozen solid on any exposed surface. However, the planet's habitability score of 81 out of 100 hints at intriguing potential: if a subsurface ocean or geothermal heat source exists beneath an icy crust, microbial life could theoretically thrive in that dark, pressurized environment—much like life around Earth's deep-sea vents or under the ice of Jupiter's moons. The main uncertainties are the planet's true atmospheric composition and interior structure, both invisible from our current vantage point. Kepler-1362 b merits further study as a prime candidate for detecting biosignatures on a world where life might hide rather than flourish in daylight.
What it would be like
Kepler-1362 b is a Neptune-like world — probably wrapped in thick layers of hydrogen, helium, and ices. There may be no solid surface at all, just clouds all the way down.
Surface gravity is about 1.1g — noticeably heavier what you're used to on Earth.
At -25°C, this world is cold — similar to Earth's polar regions or the surface of Mars. Water would likely be frozen, but subsurface liquid isn't ruled out.
An orbital period of 136 days makes the year 2.7× shorter than Earth's. You'd celebrate your birthday more often here.
Earth comparison
Logarithmic bars so Jupiter-class planets fit the same scale as Earth-size worlds.
Radius2.60R⊕
1/25×Earth = 125×
Mass7.27M⊕
1/10000×Earth = 110000×
Surface gravity1.08g
1/100×Earth = 1100×
Equilibrium temp248 K(-25°C)
0 KEarth 255 K2500 K
Side-by-side with Earth
Temperature in context
Liquid N₂Mars avgEarth eq.Earth sfc.Boiling H₂OVenus
Discovery & orbit
- Method
- Transit
- Year
- 2016
- Facility
- Kepler
- Semi-major axis
- 0.4626 AU
- Period
- 136.21 days
- Eccentricity
- 0.0000
- Density
- 2.27 g/cm³
Detected by measuring the tiny dip in starlight as the planet crosses in front of its star.
Nearly circular orbit.
Low density — probably icy or gas-rich.
Discovered via · Transit
Tiny dip in starlight as the planet crosses in front of its star
A transit photometer watches a star nonstop and measures its brightness to ~0.01%. When a planet passes between us and the star, the star dims briefly — the deeper the dip, the bigger the planet. This is how Kepler and TESS found most known exoplanets.
- Overall share
- ~75% of all confirmed worlds
- Best for
- Earth-to-Neptune-sized planets on short orbits
Orbital Animation
Kepler-1362Kepler-1362 bOrbitEarth orbitHabitable zone
Drag to rotate · scroll to zoomSemi-major axis: 0.463 AUEccentricity: 0.0000Period: 136.2 days
Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram
Where this host star sits among … exoplanet host stars. The main sequence band runs diagonally — giants and supergiants sit above, white dwarfs below.
OBAFGKMCurrent star
How far is 2,385 light-years?
- A light beam leaving Earth right now would arrive in 2,385 years.
- At Voyager 1's speed (17 km/s), the trip would take approximately 42.1 million years.
- A radio signal sent today would arrive in 2385.2 years — and the reply wouldn't come back for twice that.
Earth Similarity Index
81/1000 — Nothing like Earth100 — Identical to Earth
ESI combines radius similarity and equilibrium temperature similarity. Earth = 100. Mars ≈ 73. Venus ≈ 44. This score reflects two physical parameters only — not atmosphere, water, or magnetic field.