Kepler-1540 b: A Super-Earth Orbiting a Cool, Older Star

Kepler-1540 is a star located 799 light-years away, and its reported measurements describe the host star alone rather than the entire two-star system. It has an age of 2.51 billion years, a mass of 0.74 solar masses, a radius of 0.69 solar radii, and a temperature of 4540 K. Its mass, radius, and temperature are all smaller or cooler than the Sun's corresponding values. One planet orbits this host.

That planet is Kepler-1540 b, a Super-Earth discovered by transit in 2016. A transit occurs when a planet passes in front of its star from our viewpoint, producing a small dip in observed brightness. Kepler-1540 b completes an orbit every 125 days and has a radius of 2.49 Earth radii, which is larger than Earth's. Its radius places it within the Super-Earth size class, which extends to 2.5 times Earth's radius.