PIA14727: Bird's Eye View of Kepler-16 System (Artist Concept)


Bird’s Eye View of Kepler-16 System (Artist Concept)

Caption:

This artist's conception illustrates the Kepler-16 system (white) from an overhead view, showing its planet Kepler-16b and the eccentric orbits of the two stars it circles (labeled A and B). For reference, the orbits of our own solar system's planets Mercury and Earth are shown in blue.

Though the planet orbits its star from a distance comparable to that of Venus in our own solar system, it is actually cold. This is because its two parent stars are both smaller than the sun and don't give off as much heat.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Kepler-16
System Kepler-16
Target Type Exoplanet
Mission Kepler
Instrument Host Kepler
Host Type Space Telescope
Instrument
Detector
Extra Keywords Artwork, Color, Orbit
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2011-09-15
Date in Caption
Image Credit NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA14727
Identifier PIA14727