Approximate two-dimensional location of the star (in red circle); Sigma Leonis is the nearest bright star, which is in a southerly direction, and the boundary of Virgo is similarly far. | |
Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 | |
---|---|
Constellation | Leo |
Right ascension | 11h 30m 14.51774s [1] |
Declination | +07° 35′ 18.2553″ [1] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 13.50 [2] |
Characteristics | |
Evolutionary stage | Red dwarf |
Spectral type | M2.8 [3] |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | 0.02±0.52 [1] km/s |
Proper motion (μ) | RA: −80.479 mas/yr [1] Dec.: −133.007 mas/yr [1] |
Parallax (π) | 26.2469 ± 0.0266 mas [1] |
Distance | 124.3 ± 0.1 ly (38.10 ± 0.04 pc) |
Details | |
Mass | 0.495±0.004 [4] M☉ |
Radius | 0.469±0.010 [4] R☉ |
Luminosity | 0.0234 [5] L☉ |
Temperature | 3,503±60 [4] K |
Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.123±0.157 [6] dex |
Rotation | 39.6±0.9 d [7] |
Age | 2.4±0.6 [7] Gyr |
Other designations | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
K2-18, also known as EPIC 201912552, is a red dwarf star with two planetary companions located 124 light-years (38 parsecs ) [4] from Earth, in the constellation of Leo.
Its name is because it was discovered by the K2 Mission, which extended the mission of the Kepler Space Telescope after failure of two of its reaction wheels.
The star has a transiting exoplanet, called K2-18b, a super-Earth located within the habitable zone of K2-18. [9] [10] It was discovered in 2015 by the Kepler space telescope in its K2 mission. [3] It is the first exoplanet in the habitable zone, albeit a hydrogen-rich sub-Neptune, [11] to have its atmosphere characterized; initially thought to contain water vapor, [12] more recent observations have instead detected methane and carbon dioxide. [13] The presence of these molecules and non-detection of ammonia is consistent with predictions for a hycean planet. [13]
A second, non-transiting planet, K2-18c, was discovered in 2017 by radial velocity with HARPS. [14] This planet was challenged by another team with CARMENES data, [15] but its existence was reaffirmed by the discovery team based on both HARPS and CARMENES data. [4] This planet has also been confirmed by a later independent study. [16] System tidal simulation suggests that K2-18c is a gas-rich, Neptune-like planet, similar to K2-18b. [17]
Companion (in order from star) | Mass | Semimajor axis (AU) | Orbital period (days) | Eccentricity | Inclination | Radius |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
c | ≥5.62±0.84 M🜨 | 0.0670 ± 0.0002 | 9.2072±0.0065 [16] | <0.2 | — | — |
b | 8.63±1.35 M🜨 | 0.1591±0.0004 | 32.94488±0.00281 | — | — | 2.711±0.065 R🜨 |
55 Cancri is a binary star system located 41 light-years away from the Sun in the zodiac constellation of Cancer. It has the Bayer designation Rho1 Cancri (ρ1 Cancri); 55 Cancri is the Flamsteed designation. The system consists of a K-type star and a smaller red dwarf.
Gliese 180, is a small red dwarf star in the equatorial constellation of Eridanus. It is invisible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 10.9. The star is located at a distance of 39 light years from the Sun based on parallax, and is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −14.6 km/s. It has a high proper motion, traversing the sky at the rate of 0.765 arcseconds per year.
K2-3, also known as EPIC 201367065, is a red dwarf star with three known planets. It is on the borderline of being a late orange dwarf/K-type star, but because of its temperature, it is classified as a red dwarf.
K2-3d, also known as EPIC 201367065 d, is a confirmed exoplanet of probable mini-Neptune type orbiting the red dwarf star K2-3, and the outermost of three such planets discovered in the system. It is located 143 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Leo. The exoplanet was found by using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured. It was the first planet in the Kepler "Second Light" mission to receive the letter "d" designation for a planet. Its discovery was announced in January 2015.
WASP-47 is a star similar in size and brightness to the Sun about 881 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius. It lies within the Kepler K2 campaign field 3. It was first noticed to have a hot Jupiter exoplanet orbiting every 4 days in 2012 by the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) team. While it was thought to be a typical hot Jupiter system, three more planets were found in 2015: an outer gas giant within the habitable zone, a hot Neptune exterior to the hot Jupiter's orbit and a super-Earth interior to the hot Jupiter's orbit. WASP-47 is the only planetary system known to have both planets near the hot Jupiter and another planet much further out.
Teegarden's Star b is an exoplanet found orbiting within the habitable zone of Teegarden's Star, an M-type red dwarf 12.5 light years away from the Solar System. It had the highest Earth Similarity Index (ESI) of any exoplanet, but in February 2024 a new study updated the parameters of the planet, thus reducing its ESI to 0.90, making it no longer the planet with the hightest ESI. Along with Teegarden's Star c, it is among the closest known potentially habitable exoplanets.
K2-32 is a G9-type main sequence star slightly smaller and less massive than the sun. Four confirmed transiting exoplanets are known to orbit this star. A study of atmospheric escape from the planet K2-32b caused by high-energy stellar irradiation indicates that the star has always been a very slow rotator.
Kepler-1638 is a G-type main-sequence star located about 5,000 light years away in the constellation of Cygnus. One known exoplanet has been found orbiting the star: Kepler-1638b.As of January 2021, Kepler-1638 is the farthest star with a known exoplanet orbiting in the habitable zone.
Nikku Madhusudhan is an Indian Professor of Astrophysics and Exoplanetary Science at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge. He is credited with developing the technique of atmospheric retrieval to infer the compositions of exoplanets, and with coining the term “hycean planet” to describe a theorised class of planet which hosts a liquid water ocean beneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.
K2-296b is a potentially habitable planet discovered by Heller et al. in 2019, orbiting the M-dwarf star EPIC 201238110.
A hycean planet is a hypothetical type of exoplanet that features a liquid water ocean underneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere. The term hycean is a portmanteau of hydrogen and ocean.
K2-18b, also known as EPIC 201912552 b, is an exoplanet orbiting the red dwarf K2-18, located 124 light-years (38 pc) away from Earth. The planet is a sub-Neptune about 2.6 times the radius of Earth, with a 33-day orbit within the star's habitable zone. This means it receives about a similar amount of starlight as the Earth receives from the Sun. Initially discovered with the Kepler space telescope, it was later observed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in order to study the planet's atmosphere.
K2-25 is a young red dwarf star located in the Hyades cluster. There is a single known Neptune-sized planet in a 3.5 day orbit.