Kepler-442b by Alpha-Element on DeviantArt (original) (raw)
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i recommend downloading to see all detail. also, large file size, sorry if it takes long.
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yay for more earth like planet artwork!
finally found some time to make more art.
you may or may not have heard about the recent kepler planets and how they are habitable and similar in size to earth. this is one of them, kepler-442b. being slightly larger than earth and slightly colder, it is one of the most earth like planets discovered to date as of january 2015. i enjoyed making this one, but hated doing the atmosphere which took most of the time. other than that, i plan on redoing some of my older planets in this new style you are seing from me, like gliese-667cc and kepler-62e. i think it really gives a sense of realism to the planets and helps you guys better grasp what the planet may look like. and of coarse i will also be putting out new ones too!
you can find out more here:
www.nasa.gov/press/2015/januar…
so please let your eyes enjoy and leave any comments, favs or critiques, which are always welcome and appreciated!
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Kepler-442b
constellation: ................... Lyradistance from earth: .......... 1,120 lystar's name: ..................... Kepler-442star's type: ....................... K6Vstar's mass: ...................... 0.61 solar massesstar's radius: ..................... 0.60 solar radiistar's luminosity: .............. 0.117 solar luminositiesstar's temperature: ........... 4,402 Kelvinsystem's name: ................. Kepler-442# stars in system: .............. 1# planets in system: .......... 1system's age: ..................... 2.9 billion years
planet's status: ................. confirmedplanet's name: .................. Kepler-442bhabitability class: .............. K - Warm Terranthermal class: .................... Psychro Planetearth similarity index: ....... 0.84
planet's radius: ................ 1.34 earth radiiplanet's mass: .................. 2.52 earth masses, assuming a rocky composition.planet's density: ............... 1.047 earth densities = 5.774 g/cc, assuming a rocky composition.surface gravity: ................ 1.403 earth gravity, assuming a rocky composition.rotation period: ................ not likely to be tidally locked.atm. comp.: ...................... unknown, not likely to have a high concentration of hydrogen and helium.atm. pressure: .................. unknown, may be high due to planet's larger mass.average eq. temp: ............. 233 Kelvin = - 40 Celsiusaverage surface temp: ....... unknown, may be above freezing if atmosphere is dense enough.# satellites: ....................... unknown
orbital eccentricity: ............ 0.04orbital distance: ................. 0.409 auyear: .................................. 112.3 earth daysplace in system: ................. near the center of the conservative habitable zone.
Description
Kepler-442b is a near earth sized planet orbiting the K-type star, Kepler-442 roughly 1,120 light years from earth in the constellation Lyra. It was detected by the kepler space telescope which finds planets by measuring the dip in star light as a planet passes in front of its star as seen from earth and confirmed to exist in January of 2015. The planet orbits within the star's habitable zone which is the distance away from a star where liquid water could exist on a planet or moon's surface given the right conditions. To date is one of only a few earth-sized planets to potentially harbor life and is ranked as one of the most earth like planets to date with an earth similarity index (ESI) of 0.84.
The planet itself is only 1.34 earth radii and so is classified as a terran type world. This means that is is almost certainly a rocky planet with a composition similar to earth's. However, due to the system's great distance from earth, the planet's mass may not be able to be determined with current telescopic technology and so it can only be infered from our models of known exoplanets of similar sizes.
If the planet is indeed earth-like, it is likely to be a cold world with an average equilibrium temperature of 233 kelvin compared to earth's 255 kelvin. If the planet has a dense atmosphere or a lot of green house gases, it could be warmed to more temperate conditions. The planet is also likely to have a higher surface gravity than earth, due to it's larger size.
Because the planet orbits a star smaller than the sun, it is tingeg with an orange glow as most of the light comming from the sun would be closer the reds. This would affect photosynthesis on the planet causing many plants to appear darker in colour and brownish as they tried to absorb most of the light falling on them.
The planet may also have some large moons in orbit, which can increase it's habitability by creating tides in any oceans and warming them. However, because of the planet's proximity to the star, any moons may have their orbits destabilised by the gravity of the star or experience tidal deceleration due to planet possibly rotating slowely and crashing into the planet.
The planet is located near the tidal locking radius of its star and so there is a chance that it may be tidally locked to the star. However, due to the uncertainty in the formation of the planet and its young age, it is unlikely to be tidally locked. If the planet does indeed eperience a day-night cycle similar to earth's, it would increase it's habitability by evenly distributing heat across the planets surface.
At the moment, the planet is the only one known to exist in orbit around the star. However, it is very likely that there are other planets in the system in closer in and further out orbits, as small planets very rarely form alone.
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This Artwork is © 2015 Alpha-Element. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT USE THIS ARTWORK!