Kepler-10とは 意味・読み方・使い方

Kepler-10, formerly known as KOI-72, is a sunlike star in constellation Draco that lies 173 parsecs (564 light years) away from the Earth. Kepler-10 was targeted by NASA's Kepler spacecraft, as it was seen as a potential host star for small exoplanets. The star is slightly less massive, slightly larger, and slightly cooler than the Sun; at an estimated 11.9 billion years in age, Kepler-10 is almost 2.6 times the age of the Sun. Kepler-10 is host to a planetary system made up of at least two planets. Kepler-10b, the first undeniably rocky planet, was discovered in its orbit after eight months of observation and announced on January 10, 2011. The planet orbits its star closely, completing an orbit every 0.8 days, and has a density similar to that of iron. The second planet, Kepler-10c, was confirmed on May 23, 2011, based on follow-up observations by the Spitzer Space Telescope. The data shows it has an orbital period of 42.3 days.