kap And b
kap And b orbits the star kap And, 163.1 light-years from Earth.
Get to know this world ↓Size-based classification; composition may be uncertain.
Around 1,492% wider than Earth.
Its light travels for roughly 163 years to reach us.
Imaging
Overview
kap And b is one of the confirmed worlds in the NASA Exoplanet Archive. Recorded as discovered in 2012. The credited discovery facility is Subaru Telescope. Its Imaging evidence gives us a way to study a planet that is usually too faint to see directly.
Its recorded radius is 15.92 times Earth's radius. Size is useful for comparison, but it cannot establish surface conditions by itself.
The planet
The archive lists a mass or minimum-mass value of 5,498.43 Earth masses (Mass). Radius: 15.92 Earth radii.
Mass and radius constrain possible interiors; multiple compositions can fit a given set of measurements.
Orbit & year
The orbital period is not determined in this record. Its recorded semi-major axis is 55 AU. One AU is roughly the Earth–Sun distance.
Host star
Planetary system
1 confirmed planets are stored for this star.
kap And b · Orbit not determined
Discovery
Reported discovery year: 2012. Method: Imaging. Facility: Subaru Telescope.
First stored in this atlas: 04/10/2026. This is an ingestion date, not a confirmation date.
How these methods work ↗Potential habitability
The data here does not establish habitability, liquid water, or life. An appropriate atmosphere and many other conditions would be needed.
The listed equilibrium temperature is 1,791 K. This is an estimated energy-balance temperature, not a measured surface temperature.
Understand the habitable zone ↗What do we actually know?
The underlying light, motion or timing signal. Usually not a photograph of the planet.
Parameters derived from observations, with instrument and model uncertainty.
Our light-year conversion and browsing class are calculated from archive values.
Equilibrium temperature is an energy-balance estimate, not surface weather.
Possible composition depends on models and may not be unique.
Surface conditions and the presence of life are not established here.
Measured signals are interpreted through models. The archive’s composite table combines published values and may include calculated estimates. Values do not necessarily form one self-consistent solution.
Radius and mass can be estimated or inferred, orbital period comes from recurring observations, and size classification is calculated by this site. Atmospheric and surface conditions remain unknown unless established by specific observations.
Consult the archive for individual parameter references and uncertainty intervals before scientific use.
Scientific data
| Radius | 15.91675 Earth radii |
|---|---|
| Mass / minimum mass | 5,498.43144 Earth masses (Mass) |
| Semi-major axis | 55 AU |
| Equilibrium temperature | 1,791 K · estimated, not surface temperature |
| Host star temperature | 11,327 K |
| Host star mass | 2.768 Solar masses |
| Host star radius | 2.109 Solar radii |
| Distance | 50.0177 parsecs |
| Discovery year | 2,012 |
| Discovery method | Imaging |
| Discovery facility | Subaru Telescope |
| Discovery publication | 2013-02 |
| Stellar spectral type | B9 IVn |
Uncertainties and parameter provenance
Archive uncertainty ranges and published references, where available. A missing uncertainty does not imply an exact value.
| Parameter | Uncertainty / source |
|---|---|
| Radius | +0.67254 / -0.67254Godoy et al. 2025 |
| Mass / minimum mass | +572.09113 / -572.09113Godoy et al. 2025 |
| Equilibrium temperature | +69 / -69Godoy et al. 2025 |
Sources
NASA Exoplanet Archive · Planetary Systems Composite Parameters (PSCompPars).
Open the scientific archive record ↗Last changed in this atlas: 04/10/2026, 11:39:41. Read our methodology.