Host star — Kepler-61
- Spectral type
- K7 V
- Temperature
- 4,017 K
- Radius
- 0.62 R☉
- Mass
- 0.64 M☉
- Luminosity
- 0.107 L☉
- Distance
- 335.1 pc (1,093 ly)
Orange dwarf, cooler and longer-lived than the Sun.
Cooler than the Sun. Orange or red dwarf.
Kepler-61 b
Orbits Kepler-61 · 1,093 light-years from Earth
Super-EarthTransit2013ESI 80 · Very Earth-like
Radius
2.15×
Earth
Mass
5.3×
Earth
Year
60d
Temp
273 K
0°C
Gravity
1.1×
Earth
Distance
1,093
ly
What it would be like
Kepler-61 b 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 1.1g — noticeably heavier what you're used to on Earth.
With an equilibrium temperature around 0°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 60 days makes the year 6.1× 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.
Radius2.15R⊕
1/25×Earth = 125×
Mass5.27M⊕
1/10000×Earth = 110000×
Surface gravity1.14g
1/100×Earth = 1100×
Equilibrium temp273 K(0°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
- 2013
- Facility
- Kepler
- Semi-major axis
- 0.2486 AU
- Period
- 59.88 days
- Eccentricity
- 0.2500
- Density
- 2.91 g/cm³
Detected by measuring the tiny dip in starlight as the planet crosses in front of its star.
Noticeably elliptical. Seasons (if any) would vary in intensity.
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-61Kepler-61 bOrbitHabitable zone
Drag to rotate · scroll to zoomSemi-major axis: 0.249 AUEccentricity: 0.2500Period: 59.9 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 1,093 light-years?
- A light beam leaving Earth right now would arrive in 1,093 years.
- At Voyager 1's speed (17 km/s), the trip would take approximately 19.3 million years.
- A radio signal sent today would arrive in 1092.9 years — and the reply wouldn't come back for twice that.
Earth Similarity Index
80/1000 — 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.