Kepler-438b
Approximate size comparison of Kepler-438b (right) with Earth | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Kepler spacecraft |
| Discovery date | 2015 |
| Transit | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 0.16600 AU (24,833,000 km) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.03+0.01 −0.03 |
| 35.23319 d | |
| Inclination | 89.860 |
| Star | Kepler-438 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 1.12 (± 0.16) R🜨 | |
| Temperature | 276 K (3 °C; 37 °F) |
Kepler-438b (also known by its Kepler Object of Interest designation KOI-3284.01) is a confirmed near-Earth-sized exoplanet. It is likely rocky. It orbits on the inner edge of the habitable zone of a red dwarf, Kepler-438, about 460.2 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. It receives 1.4 times the solar flux of Earth. The planet was discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured. NASA announced the confirmation of the exoplanet on 6 January 2015.