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Kepler’s First Five Exoplanets

An artist's concept that shows a cloudy Jupiter-like planet that orbits very close to its fiery hot star
Kepler's First Five Exoplanets

01.04.10 – Kepler’s first five exoplanets, named Kepler 4b, 5b, 6b, 7b and 8b, were announced a few months after the spacecraft began making science observations. This artist’s concept shows a cloudy Jupiter-like planet that orbits very close to its fiery hot star. Known as “hot Jupiters” because of their high masses and extreme temperatures, the new exoplanets range in size from similar to Neptune to larger than Jupiter. They have orbits ranging from 3.3 to 4.9 days. Estimated temperatures of the planets range from 2,200 to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than molten lava and much too hot for life as we know it. All five of the exoplanets orbit stars hotter and larger than Earth’s sun.

Read more about the discoveries in the press release, https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/news/kepler-5-exoplanets.html.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle (SSC)