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
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.