Kepler-62e

Mass, radius and temperature Kepler-62e is a super-Earth with a radius 1.61 times that of Earth. which is highly unlikely to be true, as it would indicate a density of at least around 22.54 g/cm3. Host star The planet orbits a (K-type) star named Kepler-62, orbited by a total of five planets. and has a temperature of . The star is somewhat metal-poor, with a metallicity ([Fe/H]) of −0.37, or 42% of the solar amount. This means that for every two orbits of planet "e", "f" completes one around its star. Kepler-62e might receive about 20% more light from its star than Earth does from the Sun. ==Habitability==

, with a hypothetical surrounding debris disk Given the planet's age (7 ± 4 billion years), stellar flux (1.2 ± 0.2 times Earth's) and radius (1.61 ± 0.05 times Earth's), a rocky (silicate-iron) composition with the addition of a possibly substantial amount of water is considered plausible. However, given that some studies show that super-Earths above 1.6 may have a volatile-rich composition (similar to a mini-Neptune), and Kepler-62e's radius is estimated to be 1.61 , it may be a gaseous planet with no definite surface, and thus may not be habitable to known terrestrial life forms. Another factor that is critical is the stellar flux for Kepler-62e: at 20% more than that which Earth receives from the Sun, it is possible that the surface temperature of Kepler-62e may be over , enough to trigger a runaway greenhouse effect. Such flux may reduce the habitability factors. ==Discovery and cultural impact==

In 2009, NASA's Kepler spacecraft was completing observing stars on its photometer, the instrument it uses to detect transit events, in which a planet crosses in front of and dims its host star for a brief and roughly regular period of time. In this last test, Kepler observed stars in the Kepler Input Catalog, including Kepler-62; the preliminary light curves were sent to the Kepler science team for analysis, who chose obvious planetary companions from the group to examine further at observatories. Observations for the potential exoplanet candidates took place between 13 May 2009 and 17 March 2012. After observing the respective transits, which for Kepler-62e occurred roughly every 122 days (its orbital period), it was eventually concluded that a planetary body was responsible for the periodic dimming. This discovery and details about the planetary system of the star Kepler-69 were announced on April 18, 2013. Kepler-62f and the other Kepler-62 exoplanets are being specially targeted as part of the SETI search programs. At a distance of nearly , Kepler-62e is too remote and its star too far away for current telescopes, or the next generation of planned telescopes, to determine its mass or whether it has an atmosphere. The Kepler spacecraft focused on a single small region of the sky, but next-generation planet-hunting space telescopes, such as TESS and CHEOPS, will examine nearby stars throughout the sky. Nearby stars with planets can then be studied by the James Webb Space Telescope and future large ground-based telescopes to analyze atmospheres, determine masses and infer compositions. Additionally, the Square Kilometer Array should significantly improve radio observations over the Arecibo Observatory and Green Bank Telescope. ==See also==