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Kepler-42

Measured

KOI-961. An M dwarf in Cygnus with three Mars-to-Venus planets. NASA Kepler, 2012.

A small red star, about a sixth the Sun, 131 light-years away. Three planets, all smaller than Earth, all closer than Jupiter’s moons, all finishing a lap in under two days. NASA drew the family twice so the scale can be felt.

Three worlds, closer than moons

Kepler-42

Artist’s picture of a small red star with three rocky planets packed close, like a miniature Jupiter family. — NASA / JPL-Caltech · PIA15257. All three finish a year in under two days.

The same three orbits drawn next to Jupiter and its four large moons, so the sizes of the paths can be compared. — PIA15258. Paths to scale. The worlds are drawn larger so you can see them.

Picture Jupiter and its four big moons. Now shrink that whole family to a cool red star, about a sixth the width of the Sun, 131 light-years away. Three planets, each smaller than Earth, race around it hotter and closer than Io. NASA found them by the blinks in Kepler’s camera. The name Kepler-42 is only their place in the catalogue.

Open NASA →Open Grokipedia →Open Kepler-42 →

What it supports

A real compact system from Kepler. The 42 is their catalogue number, not a measured forty-two. Plates PIA15257 and PIA15258. The camera that found them had 42 chips; that is a different 42.

What it does not

Not a year of 42 days. Not Kepler-442. The planets are hot and close. They were not named for the camera.

ExactnessExact

Form42

Unitcatalogue

Strengthhard

When2012-01-10

Source

NASA · Kepler-42 b

Owner

THE 42 INDEX