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Common exoplanet 16 EP

K2-21 c

RA 340.3038° · Dec -14.4893° · exoplanet

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Score breakdown

· 3 badges
16 pts · Common
Common 22 pts → Uncommon
  • Multi-planet system +6
  • Confirmed exoplanet +5
  • Sub-Neptune +5
Total score 16

6 more points to reach Uncommon.

Badges

  • Confirmed exoplanet · +5
  • Sub-Neptune · +5
  • Multi-planet system · +6

Trivia

What it actually is

  • Hugging its star. It orbits closer to its star than Mercury does to the Sun, completing a lap in less time than Mercury takes.
  • What it is made of. Its density says rock, though lighter than Earth's mix: probably less iron, or a thick shell of water and ice over the top.
  • Crowded system. One of at least 2 planets orbiting its star.

Sense of scale

  • In perspective. Far away by human standards, yet still a local address inside the Milky Way's spiral arms.

Find it in the sky

  • How to spot it. At magnitude 12.9 it is far too faint for the eye: this one belongs to cameras and long exposures.
  • Southern sky. It rides the southern half of the sky — an easier target the further south you are.
  • Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around August — that's when to go looking.

Could we get there?

  • Verdict. Hopelessly far for any craft humanity can build today.

Properties

density gcc
5.4
diameter km
31762.938
discovery facility
K2
discovery method
Transit
discovery year
2015
dist ly
272.8125
eccentricity
0.21
eq temp k
420
host star teff
4222.06
inclination
88.85
insolation
5.1
mag
12.851
mass earth
6.76
name
K2-21 c
orbital period days
15.5019
radius earth
2.49
semi major au
0.107
spect
M0.0
sys num planets
2
sys num stars
1

About K2-21 c

K2-21 c is a common exoplanet. It lies about 272.8 light-years from Earth, shines at apparent magnitude 12.85, has spectral type M0.0 and has an equilibrium temperature near 420 K.

It orbits closer to its star than Mercury does to the Sun, completing a lap in less time than Mercury takes.

How to see it

At apparent magnitude 12.85, it takes a larger telescope or a long-exposure image to capture.

Like any astronomical target, K2-21 c is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.

Why K2-21 c is a common exoplanet

K2-21 c scores 16 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the common tier. Another 6 points would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 3 science badges — Confirmed exoplanet, Sub-Neptune and Multi-planet system — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.