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Epic exoplanet 54 EP

K2-18 b

RA 172.5601° · Dec 7.5878° · exoplanet

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Score breakdown

· 5 badges
54 pts · Epic
Epic 78 pts → Anomaly
  • In the habitable zone +30
  • Orbits a red dwarf +8
  • Multi-planet system +6
  • Confirmed exoplanet +5
  • Sub-Neptune +5
Total score 54

24 more points to reach Anomaly.

Badges

  • Confirmed exoplanet · +5
  • In the habitable zone · +30
  • Sub-Neptune · +5
  • Multi-planet system · +6
  • Orbits a red dwarf · +8

Trivia

What makes it special

  • Goldilocks zone. Sits where it's neither too hot nor too cold — liquid water could exist on a surface here.

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.
  • What the zone means. The habitable zone is only about temperature: it is the band where liquid water could survive on a surface. It is a promising address, not evidence of anything living.
  • 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 13.5 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.

Properties

density gcc
4.11
diameter km
30232.194
discovery facility
K2
discovery method
Transit
discovery year
2015
dist ly
124.026
eccentricity
0.2
eq temp k
284
habitable zone
yes
host star teff
3457
inclination
89.5785
insolation
1.005
mag
13.477
mass earth
8.92
name
K2-18 b
orbital period days
32.9396
radius earth
2.37
semi major au
0.1429
spect
M2.5 V
sys num planets
2
sys num stars
1

About K2-18 b

K2-18 b is an epic exoplanet. It lies about 124 light-years from Earth, shines at apparent magnitude 13.48, has spectral type M2.5 V and has an equilibrium temperature near 284 K.

Sits where it's neither too hot nor too cold — liquid water could exist on a surface here.

How to see it

At apparent magnitude 13.48, it takes a larger telescope or a long-exposure image to capture.

Like any astronomical target, K2-18 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 K2-18 b is an epic exoplanet

K2-18 b scores 54 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the epic tier. Another 24 points would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 5 science badges — Confirmed exoplanet, In the habitable zone, Sub-Neptune, Multi-planet system and Orbits a red dwarf — 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.