Kepler-12 is an early G-type to late

F-type F-type may refer to: *F-type asteroid, a type of carbonaceous asteroid *F-ATPase, a membrane protein *F-type main-sequence star, a hydrogen-fusing star * F-type Prisons, high-security prisons in Turkey *MG F-type Magna, six-cylinder-engined car pr ...

star with a transiting planet Kepler-12b in a 4-day orbit. The star lies within the constellation

Draco DRACO (double-stranded RNA activated caspase oligomerizer) is a group of experimental antiviral drugs formerly under development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In cell culture, DRACO was reported to have broad-spectrum efficacy aga ...

and is located approximately away from Earth.

Characteristics

Kepler-12, known also as KIC 11804465 in the

Kepler Input Catalog The Kepler Input Catalog (or KIC) is a publicly searchable database of roughly 13.2 million targets used for the Kepler Spectral Classification Program (SCP) and the Kepler space telescope. Overview The Kepler SCP targets were observed by t ...

, is an early G-type to late F-type star, about 4 billion years old. This corresponds strongly with a sunlike

dwarf star A dwarf star is a star of relatively small size and low luminosity. Most main sequence stars are dwarf stars. The meaning of the word "dwarf" was later extended to some star-sized objects that are not stars, and compact stellar remnants that are ...

nearing the end of the

main sequence In astronomy, the main sequence is a classification of stars which appear on plots of stellar color index, color versus absolute magnitude, brightness as a continuous and distinctive band. Stars on this band are known as main-sequence stars or d ...

, which is about to become a

red giant A red giant is a luminous giant star of low or intermediate mass (roughly 0.3–8 solar masses ()) in a late phase of stellar evolution. The stellar atmosphere, outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous, making the radius large and the surface t ...

. Kepler-12 is located approximately away from Earth. The star also has an

apparent magnitude Apparent magnitude () is a measure of the Irradiance, brightness of a star, astronomical object or other celestial objects like artificial satellites. Its value depends on its intrinsic luminosity, its distance, and any extinction (astronomy), ...

of 13.438, which means that it cannot be seen from Earth with the unaided eye. The star is slightly more massive, slightly more iron-rich and slightly hotter than the Sun. However, Kepler-12 is larger, with a radius of 1.483 times the

Sun's radius Solar radius is a unit of distance used to express the size of objects in astronomy relative to the Sun. The solar radius is usually defined as the radius to the layer in the Sun's photosphere where the optical depth equals 2/3: 1\,R_ = 6.957\ti ...

Planetary system

The only currently known planet, b, is a

hot Jupiter Hot Jupiters (sometimes called hot Saturns) are a class of gas giant exoplanets that are inferred to be physically similar to Jupiter (i.e. Jupiter analogue, Jupiter analogues) but that have very short orbital periods (). The close proximity to t ...

with a radius 1.7 times that of

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

but less than half the mass. It exhibits a pronounced radius anomaly, being significantly larger than predicted by standard models of

planetary evolution Planetary means relating to a planet or planets. It can also refer to: Science * Planetary habitability, the measure of an astronomical body's potential to develop and sustain life * Planetary nebula, an astronomical object People * Planetary (r ...

for its level of stellar irradiation and mass. This suggests additional mechanisms contribute to its inflated radius, such as lower heavy-element content or internal heat sources.

References

Draco (constellation) G-type main-sequence stars Planetary systems with one confirmed planet Planetary transit variables 20 {{main-star-stub