Functional Constraint Analysis of Kepler-452b: Resolution, Translation, and Interpretive Limits in Exoplanet Habitability Inference

Kepler-452b is frequently cited as one of the most Earth-like exoplanets discovered to date due to its Earth-scale radius, near-annual orbital period, and Sun-like host star. However, key physical properties—including planetary mass, internal composition, atmospheric state, and long-term climate stability—remain unconstrained by direct observation. This paper applies the CAT-12 functional constraint framework to Kepler-452b in order to examine how habitability narratives can emerge despite substantial observational underdetermination. Using a sequence of five physically enforced constraint laws—Dynamic Precision, Harmonic Phase Translation, Harmonic Equilibrium, Harmonic Phase-Lag Integration, and Non-Coercive Alignment—the analysis demonstrates how high-quality observational data can coexist with persistent ambiguity when physical enforcement is incomplete. We show that Kepler-452b’s precisely measured radius lies within a regime of intrinsic mass–composition degeneracy, limiting object-level classification despite high measurement resolution. Subsequent translations from radius to mass, composition, atmosphere, and surface conditions form an inference cascade in which mathematical coherence persists while physical uniqueness degrades. Long-term habitability claims are further constrained by stellar evolution and by the absence of temporal integration across dominant climate and atmospheric response timescales. Rather than revising astrophysical theory or proposing alternative dynamics, this work formalizes the lawful boundaries under which physical meaning may be inferred from limited data. Kepler-452b is shown to function as a boundary case illustrating how interpretive plurality arises as a structural feature of reality in underconstrained regimes. The CAT-12 framework is presented as a reusable methodology for maintaining empirical rigor and interpretive alignment as exoplanet detection capabilities continue to outpace direct characterization.