Kepler-271 and Its Three Planets

Kepler-271 is a star located 1320 light-years away. It is 4.57 billion years old and has a mass of 0.9 solar masses, a radius of 0.87 solar radii, and a temperature of 5560 K. Its reported mass and radius estimates are smaller than the Sun's, and its reported temperature is cooler than the Sun's. Three planets are known to orbit this host.

All three planets were found by the transit method, in which a planet passes in front of its star from our viewpoint and causes a small dip in observed brightness; repeated dips help establish orbital periods. Kepler-271 b was discovered in 2014 and is classified as Earth-like, meaning its radius stays within 1.5 times Earth's radius. It has an orbital period of 10.4 days and a radius of 1.23 Earth radii, which is larger than Earth's and the largest radius among the listed planets, as well as the longest year among them.

Kepler-271 c was also discovered in 2014. It is classified as Sub-Earth, meaning it is smaller than Earth, with a radius of 0.95 Earth radii. Its orbital period is 7.41 days, the second-shortest year among the listed planets, and its radius is the second-smallest among them.

Kepler-271 d was discovered in 2016 and is also classified as Sub-Earth. It has a radius of 0.66 Earth radii, smaller than Earth's and the smallest radius among the listed planets. Its orbital period is 5.25 days, the shortest year among the listed planets.