Host star — Kepler-62
- Spectral type
- K2 V
- Temperature
- 4,925 K
- Radius
- 0.64 R☉
- Mass
- 0.69 M☉
- Luminosity
- 0.210 L☉
- Distance
- 300.9 pc (981 ly)
Orange dwarf, cooler and longer-lived than the Sun.
Cooler than the Sun. Orange or red dwarf.
Kepler-62 e
Orbits Kepler-62 · 981 light-years from Earth
Super-EarthTransit2013ESI 85 · Very Earth-like
Radius
1.61×
Earth
Mass
36.0×
Earth
Year
122d
Temp
270 K
-3°C
Gravity
13.9×
Earth
Distance
981
ly
What it would be like
Kepler-62 e 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.
At 13.9g, gravity is crushing by Earth standards. Walking would feel like carrying a 902 kg backpack permanently.
With an equilibrium temperature around -3°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 122 days makes the year 3.0× 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.
Radius1.61R⊕
1/25×Earth = 125×
Mass36M⊕
1/10000×Earth = 110000×
Surface gravity14g
1/100×Earth = 1100×
Equilibrium temp270 K(-3°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
- 0.4270 AU
- Period
- 122.39 days
- Eccentricity
- 0.0000
- Density
- —
Detected by measuring the tiny dip in starlight as the planet crosses in front of its star.
Nearly circular orbit.
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-62Kepler-62 eOrbitEarth orbitHabitable zone
Drag to rotate · scroll to zoomSemi-major axis: 0.427 AUEccentricity: 0.0000Period: 122.4 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 981 light-years?
- A light beam leaving Earth right now would arrive in 981 years.
- At Voyager 1's speed (17 km/s), the trip would take approximately 17.3 million years.
- A radio signal sent today would arrive in 981.3 years — and the reply wouldn't come back for twice that.
Earth Similarity Index
85/1000 — 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.