Kepler
There’s No Chemical Difference Between Stars With or Without Planets
Strange New Worlds Imagine if a star could tell you it had planets. That would be really helpful because finding…
1 in 10 Red Giants are Covered in Spots, and They Rotate Surprisingly Quickly
Sunspots are common on our Sun. These darker patches are cooler than their surroundings, and they're caused by spikes in…
Astronomers Estimate There Are 6 Billion Earth-Like Planets in the Milky Way
Six billion Earth-like planets in the Milky Way? If true, that's astounding. But the number needs some context. The Milky…
Extremely Hot Exoplanets Can Have Extreme Weather, Like Clouds of Aluminum Oxide and Titanium Rain
Thanks to the success of the Kepler mission, we know that there are multitudes of exoplanets of a type called…
TESS Finds a Planet That Orbits Two Stars
Researchers working with data from NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) have a found a planet that orbits two stars.…
Spacecraft Gyroscopes And Reaction Wheels. You Can Never Have Enough
It’s amazing to think there are telescopes up in space, right now, directing their gaze at distant objects for hours,…
One Year, Almost 1,000 Planetary Candidates. An Update On TESS
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Telescope launched back in April, 2018. After a few months of testing, it was ready to…
18 – Yes, 18 – New Earth-sized Exoplanets have been Found in Kepler’s Data
Scientists working with data from the Kepler mission have discovered an additional 18 Earth-sized worlds. The team used a newer,…
It Took 10 Years to Confirm the First Planet Ever Found by Kepler
Even though astronomy people are fond of touting the number of exoplanets found by the Kepler spacecraft, those planets aren't…
This is Kepler’s Final Image
Even in retirement, the Kepler space telescope is still allowing for discoveries, which include it's "last light" images and recordings.