Kepler-56 is a red giant in the constellation Cygnus. It is located roughly away from the solar system and has slightly more mass than the Sun.
Characteristics Kepler-56 is a red giant star. This means it is no longer fusing hydrogen in its core and is off the main sequence. Its mass is around . Its radius is about , putting the star's density at about . For reference, the Sun's density is about . . Its luminosity is about , and its effective temperature is .
Kepler-56 is about 3.9 billion years old, placing it as about 600 million years younger than the Sun. Its apparent magnitude is , making it too dim to be visible to the naked eye.
Planetary system In 2012, scientists discovered a two-planet planetary system around Kepler-56 via the transit method. Asteroseismological studies revealed that the orbits of Kepler-56b and Kepler-56c are coplanar but about 45° misaligned to the host star's equator. In addition, follow-up radial velocity measurements showed evidence of a gravitational perturbator. It was confirmed in 2016 that the perturbations are caused by a third, non-transiting planet: Kepler-56d.
The planetary system is very compact but is dynamically stable.
Kepler-56 is expanding. As a result, it will devour Kepler-56b and Kepler-56c in 130 and 155 million years, respectively. 56d will be far enough to survive its parent star's red giant phase.
References
External links Kepler-56, The Open Exoplanet Catalogue Kepler 56, Exoplanet.eu