When it comes to planets and stars that start with the letter K, there are a few key objects that come to mind. In this article, we’ll provide an overview of some of the main planets, stars, and other celestial bodies that begin with the letter K.
Planets Starting with K
In our solar system, there are no major planets that start with the letter K. The 8 planets in our solar system are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
However, there are some dwarf planets and minor planets that do start with K. Here are a few examples:
- Kerberos – One of Pluto’s moons
- Kiviuq – A trans-Neptunian object
- (55637) 2002 UX25 – A Kuiper belt object
- Kleopatra – An asteroid orbiting the Sun
While these K-named objects are relatively small compared to the major planets, they are still important bodies in our solar system.
Stars Starting with K
There are a number of bright stars visible from Earth that start with the letter K. Here are some of the most notable ones:
- Kaus Australis – A bright star in the constellation Sagittarius
- Kaus Borealis – Another bright star in Sagittarius
- Kaus Media – The third star in the “Kaus” group in Sagittarius
- Kochab – The brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor
- Kornephoros – A bright star in the constellation Hercules
- Kraz – A double star system in the constellation Corvus
These stars range in distance from under 100 light years away to over 300 light years away from Earth. While relatively close by cosmic standards, they are still incredibly far away from our solar system.
Other Space Objects Starting with K
In addition to planets and stars, there are some other objects in space that begin with the letter K:
- The Kepler Space Telescope – A NASA telescope that discovered thousands of exoplanets
- Kuiper belt – A region of icy objects beyond Neptune’s orbit
- Kirkwood gaps – Gaps in the main asteroid belt caused by Jupiter’s gravity
- Kordylewski clouds – Dust clouds that orbit Earth’s Lagrange points
While this covers some of the major K-named space objects, there are countless smaller asteroids, comets, and more that also start with K.
Notable Stars Starting with K
Here is some more detail on a few of the brightest and most noteworthy stars starting with K:
Kochab
Kochab is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor. It has an apparent magnitude of 2.08 and is approximately 131 light years from Earth. Kochab is a multiple star system, with its two brightest components forming a binary star with an orbital period of several thousand years. Kochab forms the outer edge of the “Little Dipper’s” bowl.
Kornephoros
Kornephoros is a bright giant star located in the constellation Hercules. It has an apparent magnitude of 2.78 and is around 148 light years distant. Kornephoros is over 11 times more luminous than our sun. It gets its name from the Greek for “club-bearer”, referring to its location in Hercules who carries a club.
Kaus Australis
Kaus Australis is the brightest star in the southern part of the constellation Sagittarius. It has a magnitude of 1.79 and is around 120 light years from Earth. Kaus Australis is a blue giant star that is nearly 60 times wider than our sun. Its name Kaus Australis means “southern part of the bow” in Arabic.
Exoplanets Starting with K
Thousands of exoplanets (planets orbiting other stars) have been discovered in recent decades. Many of them have been given names starting with K. Here are a few examples of notable exoplanets starting with K:
- Kepler-16b – One of the first exoplanets found to orbit a binary star system.
- Kepler-452b – An Earth-size exoplanet orbiting in its star’s habitable zone.
- K2-18b – A Super-Earth exoplanet that may have liquid water.
- Kapteyn b – A super Earth orbiting one of the closest stars to the Sun.
- KOI-456.01 – A dense exoplanet with a day side temperature over 3000 K.
The Kepler Space Telescope discovered many of these K-named worlds. Finding and studying distant exoplanets remains an exciting area of astronomy.
The Importance of K-Class Stars
In stellar classification, K-type main sequence stars are orange dwarfs with surface temperatures between 3,700-5,200 K. Some key facts about K-class stars:
- They make up about 12% of the main-sequence stars near the Sun.
- Many K stars are stable and burn hydrogen for trillions of years.
- 61 Cygni, Epsilon Indi, and Tau Ceti are examples of nearby K-type stars.
- Several Kepler exoplanets have been found in the habitable zones of K-type stars.
So while there are no major planets that start with K in our solar system, K-class stars may be prime real estate for finding habitable exoplanets. The stability and long lifespans of these orange dwarfs make them important targets in the search for extraterrestrial life.
Key Facts and Summaries
Here are some key facts summarized:
- No major planets in our solar system start with K, but some dwarf planets like Kerberos and asteroid Kleopatra do.
- Notable stars starting with K include Kochab, Kornephoros, and Kaus Australis.
- Other K-named space objects are the Kepler Telescope, Kuiper Belt, and Kordylewski clouds.
- Exoplanets discovered with K names include Kepler-452b and K2-18b.
- K-type main sequence stars may be good places to find habitable exoplanets.
So while K does not start many objects in our own solar system, it is an important letter in the naming of stars, exoplanets, and other objects discovered in space. K-type stars continue to be important targets for exoplanet searches and understanding the potential for extraterrestrial life.
Conclusion
In summary, while no major planets in our solar system begin with the letter K, this letter has been an important designation for many stars, exoplanets, and other celestial objects. Stars like Kochab, Kornephoros and Kaus Australis are bright stars visible from Earth. The Kepler Space Telescope has discovered thousands of exoplanets, many of which have K-names like Kepler-452b and K2-18b. And K-type main sequence stars may prove to be critical in the ongoing search for habitable worlds. The letter K may not play a big role in our immediate neighborhood, but it has been instrumental in categorizing and designating many important objects and classes of objects we have discovered across the cosmos.
