Kepler-50 and Its Two Super-Earths

Kepler-50 is a star 816 light-years away with two planets orbiting it. The star is 3.8 billion years old and has a mass of 1.24 solar masses, a radius of 1.58 solar radii, and a temperature of 6230 K. Its mass, radius, and temperature are all larger or hotter than the Sun's.

Both planets, Kepler-50 b and Kepler-50 c, are Super-Earths discovered by transit in 2012. A transit occurs when a planet passes in front of its star from our viewpoint, causing a small dip in observed brightness; repeated dips help establish orbital periods. Kepler-50 b has an orbital period of 7.81 days and a radius of 1.71 Earth radii, the shortest year and smallest radius among the listed planets. Kepler-50 c has an orbital period of 9.38 days and a radius of 2.17 Earth radii, the longest year and largest radius among the listed planets. Both planets' reported radius estimates are larger than Earth's.