Kepler-1492 b: An Earth-Like World in a Distant System

Kepler-1492 is a single star located 1080 light-years away. It is 2.82 billion years old and has a mass of 0.77 solar masses, a radius of 0.72 solar radii, and a temperature of 4710 K. The star's reported mass and radius estimates are smaller than the Sun's, and its reported temperature is cooler than the Sun's. One planet is known to orbit this host.

That planet, Kepler-1492 b, is classified as Earth-like and was discovered in 2016 by the transit method, in which a planet passing in front of its star from our viewpoint causes a small dip in observed brightness. Repeated dips help establish orbital periods. Kepler-1492 b completes one orbit every 16.8 days. Its radius is 1.49 Earth radii, which is larger than Earth's. An Earth-like planet stays within 1.5 times Earth's radius, so the classification reflects the planet's size rather than its composition.