Show HN: AI-assisted search of Kepler data finds an uncatalogued exoplanet candidate

Summary

Using Codex while examining Kepler and TESS data, the author searched for stars whose brightness dims periodically and found an uncatalogued signal near KIC 5689121, a red dwarf in Lyra about 970 light-years away. The dip repeats every 13.77 days. If the signal is caused by a planet, the object would be approximately 2.5 to 3 times Earth’s radius. The target lies only 7.1 arcseconds from the much brighter star KIC 5689116, which may have made the signal difficult to detect and could help explain why it was previously missed. The candidate has not been confirmed: the author reports a TRICERATOPS false-positive probability analysis of about 6.9% and says infrared, adaptive-optics, and Keck observations are needed to establish whether the object is real. The post presents the result as an early candidate and invites feedback from people experienced with Kepler data and exoplanet validation, rather than as a verified planetary discovery.