The Kepler space telescope is a retired space telescope launched by NASA in 2009 to discover Earth-size planets orbiting other stars. Named after astronomer Johannes Kepler, the spacecraft was launched into an Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit. The principal investigator was William J. Borucki. After nine and a half years of operation, the telescope's reaction control system fuel was depleted, and NASA announced its retirement on October 30, 2018.
This is a list of exoplanets. As of 1 June 2022, there are 5,059 confirmed exoplanets in 3,733 planetary systems, with 824 systems having more than one planet. Most of these were discovered by the Kepler space telescope. There are an additional 2,058 potential exoplanets from Kepler's first mission yet to be confirmed, as well as 1,024 from its "Second Light" mission and 3,505 from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission.
An exoplanet is a planet located outside the Solar System. The first evidence of an exoplanet was noted as early as 1917, but was not recognized as such until 2016; no planet discovery has yet come from that evidence. What turned out to be the first detection of an exoplanet was published among a list of possible candidates in 1988, though not confirmed until 2003. The first confirmed detection came in 1992, with the discovery of terrestrial-mass planets orbiting the pulsar PSR B1257+12. The first confirmation of an exoplanet orbiting a main-sequence star was made in 1995, when a giant planet was found in a four-day orbit around the nearby star 51 Pegasi. Some exoplanets have been imaged directly by telescopes, but the vast majority have been detected through indirect methods, such as the transit method and the radial-velocity method. As of 1 June 2022, there are 5,059 confirmed exoplanets in 3,733 planetary systems, with 824 systems having more than one planet. This is a list of the most notable discoveries.
Kepler-47 is a binary star system of constellation Cygnus with three exoplanets in orbit around the pair of stars located about 1055 parsecs away from Earth. The first two planets announced are designated Kepler-47b, and Kepler-47c. Kepler-47 is the first circumbinary multi-planet system discovered by the Kepler mission. The outermost of the planets is a gas giant orbiting within the habitable zone of the stars. Because most stars are binary, the discovery that multi-planet systems can form in such a system has impacted previous theories of planetary formation.
Kepler-80, also known as KOI-500, is a red dwarf star of the spectral type M0V. This stellar classification places Kepler-80 among the very common, cool, class M stars that are still within their main evolutionary stage, known as the main sequence. Kepler-80, like other red dwarf stars, is smaller than the Sun, and it has both radius, mass, temperatures, and luminosity lower than that of our own star. Kepler-80 is found approximately 1,218 light years from the Solar System, in the stellar constellation Cygnus, also known as the Swan.
Kepler-69 is a G-type main-sequence star similar to the Sun in the constellation Cygnus, located about 2,430 ly (750 pc) from Earth. On April 18, 2013 it was announced that the star has two planets. Although initial estimates indicated that the terrestrial planet Kepler-69c might be within the star's habitable zone, further analysis showed that the planet very likely is interior to the habitable zone and is far more analogous to Venus than to Earth and thus completely inhospitable.
Kepler-90, also designated 2MASS J18574403+4918185, is a G-type main sequence star located about 2,840 light-years (870 pc) from Earth in the constellation of Draco. It is notable for possessing a planetary system that has the same number of observed planets as the Solar System.
Kepler-296e is a confirmed Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of Kepler-296. The planet was discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured. NASA announced the discovery of the exoplanet on 26 February 2014.
Kepler-296 is a binary star system in the constellation Draco. The primary star appears to be a late K-type main-sequence star, while the secondary is a red dwarf.
Kepler-1229 is a red dwarf star located about 870 light-years (270 pc) away from the Earth in the constellation of Cygnus. It is known to host a super-Earth exoplanet within its habitable zone, Kepler-1229b, which was discovered in 2016.
K2-58 is G-type main-sequence star in the constellation of Aquarius, approximately 596 light-years from Solar System. The star is metal-rich, having 155% of Solar abundance of elements heavier than helium. The star is located in the region allowing to see Venus transiting the Sun for hypothetical observer located in K2-58 system.
Kepler-1649c is an Earth-sized exoplanet, likely rocky, orbiting within the habitable zone of the red dwarf star Kepler-1649, the outermost planet of the planetary system discovered by Kepler’s space telescope. It is located about 301 light-years (92 pc) away from Earth, in the constellation of Cygnus.
KOI-4878.01 is an exoplanet candidate that orbits the F-type main-sequence star KOI-4878. It is located about 1075 light years from Earth. The features of the planet are very similar to that of Earth, and if it is confirmed, it would be one of the most Earth-like planets found. The orbital period of the exoplanet is around 449 Earth days. It is very likely located within the habitable zone of its parent star.
Kepler-560b, or more correctly Kepler-560 Bb, is a confirmed exoplanet orbiting the secondary star of the binary star system Kepler-560. It is only 287 light-years away. Though not listed in the Habitable Exoplanets Catalog, one study gives the planet an 85% chance of being in the habitable zone.
K2-66b is a confirmed mega-Earth orbiting the subgiant K2-66, about 520 parsecs (1,700 ly) form Earth in the direction of Aquarius. It is an extremely hot and dense planet heavier than Neptune, but with only about half its radius.
Kepler-737b is a super-Earth exoplanet 669 light years away. There is a chance it could be on the inner edge of the habitable zone.
