Aster › Space program › Kepler-16 b (Tatooine)
Kepler-16 b (Tatooine)
Position on the route: 113/130 · level needed 2300 · journey (Mk0 engine) 389.5 h
By the numbers
| Distance | ≈ 245 light-years |
|---|---|
| Mass | ≈ 0.33 Jupiter |
| Year | 229 days |
| Stars | a K and an M-type pair |
The story
Kepler-16 b, found in 2011, is the first confirmed planet orbiting two stars: a ‘two-sun’ world, nicknamed Tatooine after the planet in Star Wars. The stars circle each other in 41 days; the planet goes round both in 229.
A Saturn-mass gas giant and cold (−100 to −70 °C): in the habitable zone, but a gas giant. It has no surface; if it had moons their habitability would be debated. Two sunsets in the sky.
Missions
- Kepler (NASA, 2009–2018): the discovery, from the eclipsing signals of the star pair
Colony note
A gas giant: an orbital station. Two suns in the sky. On the Lattice border.
☠ A Saturn-sized gas giant under two suns: no surface to land on. A station in orbit, with two sunsets in the sky.
What probes bring back
- Found in 2011: the first confirmed planet circling two stars (‘Tatooine’).
- A Saturn-mass gas giant with a 229-day year; the star pair circles each other every 41 days.