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Uncommon exoplanet 32 EP

K2-16 b

RA 175.0972° · Dec 4.5574° · exoplanet

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Score breakdown

· 5 badges
32 pts · Uncommon
Uncommon 34 pts → Rare
  • Tidally locked +10
  • Distant (over 1,000 light-years) +6
  • Multi-planet system +6
  • Confirmed exoplanet +5
  • Sub-Neptune +5
Total score 32

2 more points to reach Rare.

Badges

  • Confirmed exoplanet · +5
  • Distant (over 1,000 light-years) · +6
  • Sub-Neptune · +5
  • Tidally locked · +10
  • 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 3 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 14.7 it is far too faint for the eye: this one belongs to cameras and long exposures.
  • Seen from everywhere. It sits almost on the celestial equator, so it can be seen from essentially anywhere on Earth.
  • Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around March — that's when to go looking.

Could we get there?

  • Verdict. Impossible with our current technology — and the next millennium of it.

Properties

density gcc
3.16
diameter km
25767.524
discovery facility
K2
discovery method
Transit
discovery year
2015
dist ly
1092.515
eq temp k
658
host star teff
4742
inclination
87.97
insolation
44.5
mag
14.668
mass earth
4.74
name
K2-16 b
orbital period days
7.6188
radius earth
2.02
semi major au
0.0667
spect
K3 V
sys num planets
3
sys num stars
1
tidally locked
yes
tidally locked inferred
yes

About K2-16 b

K2-16 b is an uncommon exoplanet. It lies about 1,092.5 light-years from Earth, shines at apparent magnitude 14.67, has spectral type K3 V and has an equilibrium temperature near 658 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 14.67, it takes a larger telescope or a long-exposure image to capture.

Like any astronomical target, K2-16 b 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 K2-16 b is an uncommon exoplanet

K2-16 b scores 32 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 2 points would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 5 science badges — Confirmed exoplanet, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Sub-Neptune, Tidally locked 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.