Kepler-11e

Kepler-11e
Size comparison of Kepler-11e (gray) with Neptune.
Discovery
Discovery date2 February 2011[1]
Transit (Kepler Mission)[1]
Orbital characteristics
0.194 AU (29,000,000 km)
31.99590[2] d
Inclination88.8[2]
StarKepler-11 (KOI-157)
Physical characteristics
4.52 (± 0.43)[3] R🜨
Mass8.4 +2.5
−1.9
[3] ME
Mean density
0.5 (± 0.2)[3] g cm−3
Temperature617 K (344 °C; 651 °F)[4]

Kepler-11e is an exoplanet (extrasolar planet) discovered in the orbit of the sunlike star Kepler-11. It is the fourth of six planets around Kepler-11 discovered by NASA's Kepler space telescope. Kepler-11e was found by using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured. Kepler-11e is most likely a gas giant like Neptune, having a density that is less than that of Saturn, the least dense planet in the Solar System.[5] Its low density can probably be attributed to a large hydrogen and helium atmosphere.[1] Kepler-11e has a mass eight times of Earth's mass and a radius 4.5 times that of Earth. The planet orbits its star every 31 days in an ellipse that would fit within the orbit of Mercury. Kepler-11e was announced on February 2, 2011 with its five sister planets after it was confirmed by several observatories.

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  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Lissauer2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference EPE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cain was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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