Multi-planet system
Kepler-11
Six tightly packed planets — all closer to their star than Mercury is to ours.
- Planets
- 6
- Distance
- 2108.1 ly
- Host
- G-type
About Kepler-11
Discovery
Kepler-11's six transiting planets were announced in 2011 by Jack Lissauer and colleagues using the Kepler spacecraft and follow-up dynamical analysis — the first time a Sun-like star was confirmed to host six transiting planets.
Why it matters
All six Kepler-11 planets orbit closer to their star than Mercury orbits the Sun, yet five of them are larger than Earth — a 'puffy' compact system that overturned expectations of what dense planetary architectures can look like.
Current research
Kepler-11 remains a central case study for transit-timing variation mass measurements and for theoretical work on how compact systems form without colliding.
Comparable to
Imagine six Earths-to-Neptunes packed inside Mercury's orbit — a planetary system squeezed into the space where ours has nothing but rock and dust.
System geometry
At a glance
- Hostname
- Kepler-11
- Spectral type
- G2V
- Distance
- 2108.1 ly · 646.35 pc
- Stellar mass
- 0.96 M☉
- Stellar radius
- 1.06 R☉
- Luminosity
- 1.319 L☉
- Effective temp
- 5663 K
- Confirmed planets
- 6
- Habitable zone
- 1.091 – 1.573 AU
Top-down orbital diagram
Orbits to scale within this system. Dashed green = habitable-zone edges.
Planet positions are illustrative (evenly spaced in phase). For live motion see the 3D scene.
The planets
6 confirmed.
Sub-Neptune
Kepler-11 b
- Orbit
- 0.091 AU
- Period
- 10.30 days
- Radius
- 1.80 R⊕
- Mass
- 1.90 M⊕
- Eq. temperature
- 849 K
- Eccentricity
- 0.045
- Discovered
- 2010 · Transit
Sub-Neptune
Kepler-11 c
- Orbit
- 0.107 AU
- Period
- 13.02 days
- Radius
- 2.87 R⊕
- Mass
- 2.90 M⊕
- Eq. temperature
- 786 K
- Eccentricity
- 0.026
- Discovered
- 2010 · Transit
Sub-Neptune
Kepler-11 d
- Orbit
- 0.155 AU
- Period
- 22.68 days
- Radius
- 3.12 R⊕
- Mass
- 7.30 M⊕
- Eq. temperature
- 653 K
- Eccentricity
- 0.004
- Discovered
- 2010 · Transit
Gas giant
Kepler-11 e
- Orbit
- 0.195 AU
- Period
- 32.00 days
- Radius
- 4.19 R⊕
- Mass
- 8.00 M⊕
- Eq. temperature
- 582 K
- Eccentricity
- 0.012
- Discovered
- 2010 · Transit
Sub-Neptune
Kepler-11 f
- Orbit
- 0.250 AU
- Period
- 46.69 days
- Radius
- 2.49 R⊕
- Mass
- 2.00 M⊕
- Eq. temperature
- 513 K
- Eccentricity
- 0.013
- Discovered
- 2010 · Transit
Sub-Neptune
Kepler-11 g
- Orbit
- 0.466 AU
- Period
- 118.38 days
- Radius
- 3.33 R⊕
- Mass
- 25.00 M⊕
- Eq. temperature
- 376 K
- Eccentricity
- 0.150
- Discovered
- 2010 · Transit
Compared to our Solar System
Each row shows the closest Solar-System analog by radius (log-space). Earth is pinned at the bottom as the constant frame of reference.
| Planet | Radius (R⊕) | Mass (M⊕) | Orbit (AU) | Period (days) | Eq temp (K) | Solar analog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kepler-11 b | 1.80 | 1.90 | 0.091 | 10.30 | 849 | Earth |
| Kepler-11 c | 2.87 | 2.90 | 0.107 | 13.02 | 786 | Neptune |
| Kepler-11 d | 3.12 | 7.30 | 0.155 | 22.68 | 653 | Neptune |
| Kepler-11 e | 4.19 | 8.00 | 0.195 | 32.00 | 582 | Uranus |
| Kepler-11 f | 2.49 | 2.00 | 0.250 | 46.69 | 513 | Neptune |
| Kepler-11 g | 3.33 | 25.00 | 0.466 | 118.38 | 376 | Neptune |
| Earth (reference) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.000 | 365.25 | 255 | — |
Research status
◇ JWST observation status
No JWST programs are currently targeting planets in this system. The system may be observed in future cycles or by upcoming missions (Ariel, HWO, Roman).
Discovery timeline
- 2010
6 planets: b, c, d, e, f, g
via Transit
If you liked this
Other systems in the same theme:
Kepler-90
8 planets · 2766.6 ly · G2V
Eight known planets — first system to tie our solar system's count.
TOI-178
6 planets · 204.5 ly · K
Six planets in a precise resonance chain — orbital ratios like a cosmic clock.
HR 8799
4 planets · 134.5 ly · A5
Four giant planets directly imaged at infrared — orbiting a young A-type star.
Experience it
See Kepler-11 in interactive 3D
Fly through the system, click any planet, watch orbits play out at 100× speed.
▶ Launch 3D scene