Kepler passes scientific tests
Posted: Fri, Aug 7, 2009, 8:04 AM ET (1204 GMT)
Observations of a star known to have an extrasolar planet have confirmed that a new NASA spacecraft should be able to detect Earth-sized worlds around other stars, scientists said Thursday. NASA used the Kepler spacecraft, launched earlier this year, to observe a star 1,000 light-years away where previous observations had detected a planet closely orbiting it. Kepler was able to detect the changes in brightness as the star transited across the star's disk, as well as a much smaller change when the planet passed behind the star. The high quality of the Kepler data also allowed scientists to infer additional data about the planet, including a temperature on its day side of 2,375 degrees Celsius. Kepler, launched in March, will spend the next three and a half years observing one region of the sky, looking for similar transits caused by other exoplanets, including worlds the size of the Earth.
Observations of a star known to have an extrasolar planet have confirmed that a new NASA spacecraft should be able to detect Earth-sized worlds around other stars, scientists said Thursday. NASA used the Kepler spacecraft, launched earlier this year, to observe a star 1,000 light-years away where previous observations had detected a planet closely orbiting it. Kepler was able to detect the changes in brightness as the star transited across the star's disk, as well as a much smaller change when the planet passed behind the star. The high quality of the Kepler data also allowed scientists to infer additional data about the planet, including a temperature on its day side of 2,375 degrees Celsius. Kepler, launched in March, will spend the next three and a half years observing one region of the sky, looking for similar transits caused by other exoplanets, including worlds the size of the Earth.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, February 2
Indra Agrees To Hispasat Takeover
Aviation Week — 9:04 am ET (1404 GMT) Private spacecraft gets dramatic view of Earth eclipsing moon
Mashable — 9:04 am ET (1404 GMT) Space Systems Command Expands Space Command and Control Capabilities to Accelerate Operational Timelines for Warfighters
US Space Force — 9:03 am ET (1403 GMT) Apple’s New ‘Game Changer’ iPhone Update Brings Starlink Satellite Access
Forbes.com — 9:02 am ET (1402 GMT) SpaceX Launches More Starlinks From Foggy Vandenberg SFB
KVTA-AM Ventura, CA — 9:01 am ET (1401 GMT) |
