Kepler-132: A Host Star and Its Four Known Worlds

Kepler-132 is a star located 1140 light-years away, and four planets have been found orbiting it. The star is 4.37 billion years old, with a mass of 1.03 solar masses and a radius of 1.1 solar radii. Its temperature is 6020 K, which is hotter than the Sun's reported temperature.

All four planets were detected 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. Kepler-132 b and Kepler-132 c were discovered in 2014. Both are Earth-like planets. Kepler-132 b has an orbital period of 6.18 days and a radius of 1.21 Earth radii, while Kepler-132 c has an orbital period of 6.41 days and a radius of 1.28 Earth radii. Among the listed planets, Kepler-132 b has the shortest year, and Kepler-132 c has the second-shortest year.

Kepler-132 d, also discovered in 2014, is a Super-Earth with an orbital period of 18 days and a radius of 1.55 Earth radii. It has the second-longest year among the listed planets and the largest radius. Kepler-132 e was discovered in 2016 and is an Earth-like planet with an orbital period of 110 days and a radius of 1.18 Earth radii. It has the longest year and the smallest radius among the listed planets.

The reported radius estimates for Kepler-132 c, Kepler-132 d, and Kepler-132 e are each larger than Earth's. Orbital period is the time a planet takes to complete one orbit, its year. Planet size classes compare radius with Earth's: an Earth-like planet stays within 1.5 times Earth's radius, while a Super-Earth reaches 2.5 times.