Kepler-36b is an
exoplanet
An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917 but was not recognized as such. The first confirmation of detection occurred in 1992. A different planet, init ...
orbiting the star
Kepler-36
Kepler-36 is a star in the constellation of Cygnus with two known planets. It has an anomalously large radius, meaning that it is a subgiant.
Planetary system
On June 21, 2012, the discovery of two planets orbiting the star was announced. ...
.
This planet has the closest conjunction to
Kepler-36c every 97 days. Its density is similar to that of
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
.
During their closest approach, Kepler-36b and Kepler-36c are located only 0.013 AU (about 1,900,000 km) from each other, which causes extreme transit-timing variations for both planets. Transit-timing variations caused by Kepler-36c are strong enough to put narrow constraints on Kepler-36b's mass.
The close proximity of the planet to its host star combined with its relatively low mass caused the planet to lose all or most of its primordial hydrogen/helium envelope.
References
Cygnus (constellation)
36b
Exoplanets discovered in 2012
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