Astronomical evidence
Kepler-442 b is a transiting planet around a star cooler than the Sun. The saved catalog gives a 112.3053-day orbit and a radius of 1.34 Earth radii, with uncertainties of +0.11/−0.18. Its discovery analysis tested whether other astronomical configurations could imitate the observed dips in brightness. Statistical validation compares the planet explanation with alternatives such as blended eclipsing stars. It can establish a compelling planetary interpretation even when a direct mass measurement is unavailable. For Kepler-442 b, the catalog’s 2.36-Earth-mass entry is a calculated estimate from its radius. A cooler stellar photosphere changes the distribution of incoming light across wavelengths. The catalog’s stellar effective temperature is about 4,400 K. This describes the star’s radiation, not the color of an observed landscape; an unknown atmosphere would also scatter and absorb that light.
The illustrated viewpoint
Continuous pleated ribbon in a still, inward-folded meditative pose. An imagined rocky landscape; atmosphere and surface are unmeasured. The desert, arches and twilight palette are imagined. Placement in a potentially temperate irradiation range does not by itself establish liquid water, surface pressure, a rocky landscape or biological activity.
The desert, arches and twilight palette are imagined. Placement in a potentially temperate irradiation range does not by itself establish liquid water, surface pressure, a rocky landscape or biological activity. All depicted life is fictional. The visual connection to the cosmos is an artistic theme, not a claimed biological mechanism.
Catalog measurements & sources
Host: Kepler-442. Snapshot: 25 September 2026. Errors, limits and source provenance are retained. Calculated values and model estimates are not direct measurements. Unknown is not zero; equilibrium temperature is not surface temperature.
| Quantity / unit | Value / reported errors | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Radius · Earth radii | 1.34 (+0.11 / -0.18) | Torres et al. 2015 |
| Mass · Earth masses | 2.36 | Calculated Value |
| Density · g/cm³ | 5.39 | Calculated Value |
| Orbital period · days | 112.305 (+0.0024 / -0.0028) | Torres et al. 2015 |
| Orbital semimajor axis · AU | 0.409 (+0.209 / -0.06) | Torres et al. 2015 |
| Eccentricity | ≥ 0.04 (+0.08 / -0.04) | Torres et al. 2015 |
| Inclination · degrees | 89.94 (+0.06 / -0.12) | Torres et al. 2015 |
| Irradiation · Earth flux | 0.66 (+0.23 / -0.41) | Torres et al. 2015 |
| Equilibrium temperature · K | 241 | Q1-Q17 DR25 KOI Table |
| Stellar effective temperature · K | 4402 (+100 / -100) | Torres et al. 2015 |
| Stellar radius · Solar | 0.598 (+0.023 / -0.024) | Torres et al. 2015 |
| Stellar mass · Solar | 0.609 (+0.03 / -0.026) | Torres et al. 2015 |
| Stellar luminosity · log Solar | -0.932 (+0.081 / -0.064) | Torres et al. 2015 |
| Stellar age · Gyr | 2.9 (+8.1 / -0.2) | Torres et al. 2015 |
| Stellar metallicity · dex | -0.37 (+0.1 / -0.1) | Torres et al. 2015 |
| Distance · pc | 365.965 (+2.763 / -2.724) | TICv8 |