May 27, 2009

  • Let the Planet Hunt Begin!

    The Kepler Telescope is now awake and peering deep into its designated star field. The target area has been carefully selected and will hopefully be a target rich environment. It will spend the next three-and-a-half years staring at more than 100,000 stars for telltale signs of planets. Kepler has the unique ability to find planets as small as Earth that orbit sun-like stars at distances where temperatures are right for possible lakes and oceans.

    The mission's first finds are expected to be large, gas planets situated close to their stars. Such discoveries could be announced as early as next year.