Host star — Kepler-296
- Spectral type
- M2 V
- Temperature
- 3,740 K
- Radius
- 0.48 R☉
- Mass
- 0.50 M☉
- Luminosity
- 0.031 L☉
- Distance
- 167.0 pc (545 ly)
Red dwarf — the most common type of star. Cool and small.
Cooler than the Sun. Orange or red dwarf.
Kepler-296 f
Orbits Kepler-296 · 545 light-years from Earth
Super-EarthTransit2014ESI 82 · Very Earth-like
Radius
1.80×
Earth
Mass
3.9×
Earth
Year
63d
Temp
274 K
1°C
Gravity
1.2×
Earth
Distance
545
ly
Could life exist here?
AI analysisKepler-296 f is a super-Earth roughly 1.8 times Earth's radius with an equilibrium temperature of 274 Kelvin—about as cold as Earth's South Pole. Orbiting an M-dwarf star 545 light-years away every 63.3 days, this world sits in its star's habitable zone, where liquid water could theoretically persist on the surface. The planet's notably high density of 3.2 grams per cubic centimeter suggests a rocky, possibly iron-rich interior, though its precise mass of 3.89 Earth masses leaves some compositional ambiguity. One caveat: the orbit's significant eccentricity of 0.33 means Kepler-296 f's climate would swing seasonally, potentially wild enough to challenge any emerging biosphere. Atmospheric retention and surface geology remain entirely unknown. What makes this world compelling is its surprisingly high habitability score of 82 despite its distance, and its status as a prime validation of the transit method's power to reveal potentially habitable worlds around small, nearby red dwarfs.
What it would be like
Kepler-296 f is a super-Earth — larger than our planet but likely still rocky or ice-rich. Whether it has a thin atmosphere like Mars or a crushing one like Venus remains unknown.
Surface gravity is about 1.2g — noticeably heavier what you're used to on Earth.
With an equilibrium temperature around 1°C, this planet sits in the temperature range where liquid water could potentially exist on the surface — a key ingredient for life as we know it.
An orbital period of 63 days makes the year 5.8× 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.
Radius1.80R⊕
1/25×Earth = 125×
Mass3.89M⊕
1/10000×Earth = 110000×
Surface gravity1.20g
1/100×Earth = 1100×
Equilibrium temp274 K(1°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
- 2014
- Facility
- Kepler
- Semi-major axis
- 0.2550 AU
- Period
- 63.34 days
- Eccentricity
- 0.3300
- Density
- 3.20 g/cm³
Detected by measuring the tiny dip in starlight as the planet crosses in front of its star.
Highly eccentric — temperatures would swing wildly between closest and farthest approach.
Rocky composition likely. Earth is 5.51 g/cm³.
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-296Kepler-296 fOrbitHabitable zone
Drag to rotate · scroll to zoomSemi-major axis: 0.255 AUEccentricity: 0.3300Period: 63.3 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 545 light-years?
- A light beam leaving Earth right now would arrive in 545 years.
- At Voyager 1's speed (17 km/s), the trip would take approximately 9.6 million years.
- A radio signal sent today would arrive in 544.7 years — and the reply wouldn't come back for twice that.
Earth Similarity Index
82/1000 — 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.