Kepler Names Table Data Column Definitions

The following tables list all of the data columns in the Kepler Names Table that can be returned through the NASA Exoplanet Archive's Table Access Protocol (TAP) service and displayed in the interactive table.

Please note: The Kepler Names Table's (keplernames) database column names were changed in April 2021, so queries developed before the redesign will not return the most current data. The table has also been transitioned to the archive's TAP service. To build a new query, review the TAP User Guide and use the database column names on this page. Columns that have been discontinued or re-named are noted where applicable.

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Submit a Helpdesk ticket for questions about the structure and use of this table in the archive format.


Target Labels and Flags

Database Column Name Table Label Description Notes
kepid† Kepler Identification or KepID Target identification number, as listed in the Kepler Input Catalog (KIC). The KIC was derived from a ground-based imaging survey of the Kepler field conducted prior to launch. The survey's purpose was to identify stars for the Kepler exoplanet survey by magnitude and color. The full catalog of 13 million sources can be searched at the MAST archive. The subset of 4 million targets found upon the Kepler CCDs can be searched via the Kepler Target Search form. The Kepler ID is unique to a target and there is only one Kepler ID per target.  
koi_name† KOI Name A number used to identify and track a Kepler Object of Interest (KOI). A KOI is a target identified by the Kepler Project that displays at least one transit-like sequence within Kepler time-series photometry that appears to be of astrophysical origin and initially consistent with a planetary transit hypothesis. A KOI name has an integer and a decimal part of the format KNNNNN.DD. The integer part designates the target star; the two-digit decimal part identifies a unique transiting object associated with that star. It is not necessarily the planetary candidate listed in that order within a DV report, nor does it indicate the distance of the planet from the the host star relative to other planets in the system. Previously known as kepoi_name
kepler_name† Kepler Name Kepler number name of the form "Kepler-N" plus a lower-case letter identifying the planet. In general, these numbers are easier to remember than the corresponding KOI or KIC/KepID designations and are intended to clearly indicate a class of objects that have been confirmed or validated as planets—a step up from the planet candidate designation.  
pl_name† Confirmed Name The planet name as used in the Exoplanet Archive Planetary Systems tables. Previously known as alt_name
koi_list_flag† Is In KOI List? This flag indicates whether the planet is listed in the KOI candidate list (value of "YES") or not (value of "NOT"). KOI candidates are identified through transit signatures from the Kepler light curves. Follow-up observations may confirm the presence of additional planets via signatures that are not those of transiting objects, for example via Transit Timing Variations. No longer used
tm_designation 2MASS Name 2MASS designation from the 2MASS point source catalog (Skrutskie et al. 2006, ApJ, 131, 1163). No longer used
last_update† Date of Last Update Date of last update for this Kepler planet No longer used

† Default column: these columns display in the interactive table when the table is first loaded, and when Reset Filters is clicked.

Kepler Input Catalog (KIC) Parameters

Database Column Name Uncertainties Column
(positive +)
(negative -)		 Table Label Description Notes
ra ra_err RA (deg) KIC Right Ascension No longer used
dec dec_err Dec (deg) KIC Declination No longer used
ra_str† RA (sex) KIC Right Ascension No longer used
dec_str† Dec (sex) KIC Declination No longer used

† Default column: these columns display in the interactive table when the table is first loaded, and when Reset Filters is clicked.


Last updated: 4 May 2021