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Kepler-69c — Description

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hi! i bring to you another space scape! this time it's another kepler world and this one is dubbed kepler-69c. it was recently discovered and is one of the most habitable planets discovered to date. to tell you the truth, i've actually been waiting quite some time since the discovery of kepler-22b, for the kepler team to announce the discovery of some new habitable worlds. and i must say, the wait was well worth it too!

and yes, i know some of you will say that it looks alot like my rendition of kepler-22b, but please cut me some slack as i'm trying to keep the planet asthetically pleasing while scientifically accurate at the same time.

i recommend downloadng to see all detail. also, large file size, sorry if it takes long.

so enjoy the image! and remember that comments and critques and favs are welcome and appreciated!

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Kepler - 69c

constellation: ................... Cygnus
distance from earth: ......... 2,700 ly
star's name: ..................... Kepler - 69
star's type: ....................... G (main sequence)
star's mass: ...................... 0.81 solar masses
star's radius: ..................... 0.93 solar radii
system's name: ................. Kepler - 69
# planets in system: .......... 2
system's age: ................... 4.0 billion years

planet's status: ................ confirmed
planet's name: ................. Kepler - 69c
planetary class: ................ super earth
planetary sub-class: .......... possible ocean planet
habitable class: ................ thermo planet
planet's radius: ................ 1.71 earth radii
planet's mass: .................. 5.0 earth masses assuming a density the same as earths.
planet's density: ............... unknown, but it is not likely to be higher than earth's density of 5.515 g/cm³.
rotation period: ................. unlikely to be tidally locked
atm. comp.: ..................... nitrogen, oxygen, water vapour, other gasses
atm. density: .................... probably slightly denser than earth's, not likely to be very dense.
average surface temp: ....... 26°C
satellites: ......................... 3 (hypothetical)

orbital eccentricity: ............ unknown (but likely to be lower than 0.2)
orbital distance: ................ 0.76 au
year: ................................ 242.5 earth days
place in system: ................ inner edge of habitable zone

Description

Kepler-69c (formerly, KOI-172.02) is a confirmed super-Earth extrasolar planet, about 70% larger than Earth, orbiting a Sun-like G-type star, Kepler-69, located about 2,700 ly (830 pc) from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus. 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. Kepler-69c is most likely a terrestrial planet within the inner part of its host star's habitable zone. Initial discovery of the planet was announced on January 7, 2013; confirmation was announced on April 18, 2013. Kepler-69c is notable because, at the time of its discovery, the candidate was one of the most Earth-like planets, in terms of size and temperature, yet found and, as such, according to the scientists, a "prime candidate to host alien life".

Current models of the planet indicate that it is a possible ocean planet, meaning that its entire surface is covered by an ocean. however, due to the planet's size and mass, the oceans aren't likely to be very deep and may only be a few dozen kilometers deep at most, compared to the planet kepler-22b that may have oceans hundreds of kilometers deep. the planet may also be a hot world due to its orbit around its star, thus causing more water to evaporate from it's surface and form larger, more intense storms. this would ravage the planet's surface and act as a hinderance to life. any life on this planet can escape the storms by travelling deeper into the oceans or by evolving with a tougher exterior to withstand the wind and rain. despite these factors, the planet would still be extremely habitable.

the planet's density is not likely to exceed earths density of 5.515 g/cm³ and so its mass should also not exceed 5 earth masses. given the planet's size, its density should also be far above the density of the planet neptune. the planet should also have a few large moons due to its size. three hypothetical moons are shown here, however none are larger than half the radius of our moon.

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This Artwork is © 2013 Alpha-Element. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.