What is the hottest known lava world?
The hottest known rocky exoplanet is Kepler-1547 b, a lava world with an estimated equilibrium temperature of about 2913°C (5275°F): hot enough that its surface runs molten. Everything about Kepler-1547 b →
| # | World | Equilibrium temp | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| ★ 1 | Kepler-1547 b | 2913°C (5275°F) | 2,201 ly |
| 2 | Kepler-770 c | 2467°C (4472°F) | 3,035 ly |
| 3 | TOI-2260 b | 2336°C (4237°F) | 330 ly |
| 4 | Kepler-1531 b | 2264°C (4107°F) | 2,173 ly |
| 5 | HD 80653 b | 2190°C (3974°F) | 358 ly |
| 6 | K2-157 b | 2159°C (3918°F) | 973 ly |
| 7 | Kepler-990 c | 2113°C (3835°F) | 2,616 ly |
| 8 | Kepler-929 b | 2089°C (3792°F) | 4,277 ly |
| 9 | Kepler-1258 b | 2062°C (3743°F) | 2,340 ly |
| 10 | EPIC 220674823 b | 2051°C (3724°F) | 798 ly |
This record is scoped to rocky worlds: a gas giant can run hotter, but it has no ground to melt. The temperature is the computed equilibrium temperature, disputed rows are excluded, and the winner's surface sits far above the melting point of rock, which is what makes it a lava world.
Nothing in our solar system comes close: Mercury's daytime side peaks near 430°C, well short of molten. What could unseat this record: an even hotter rocky world skimming closer to its star; ultra-short-period surveys turn up a few candidates a year.
Keep exploring: all records · the worst places to visit · all rocky worlds