“Taking into account all of the different activities and missions
that are searching for alien life, we are on the verge of making one of
the most profound, unprecedented discoveries in history.”
Professor Zurbuchen said on Twitter last week: “Wow, 219 potential
new planets! @NASAKepler data shows us that most stars are home to at
least one planet…Are we alone?”
The Kepler space telescope has been hunting for planets since it was launched into orbit around the Sun in 2009.
It can spot tiny drops in a distant star’s brightness when a planet crosses in front of it, called a transit.
The latest groundbreaking discoveries were among 2,335 planets beyond our solar system that have been verifyied after being found by Kepler.
Of these, only 30 planets have been found to be earth-like planets potentially able to host life.
“This carefully-measured catalog is the foundation for directly answering one of astronomy’s most compelling questions – how many planets like our Earth are in the galaxy?” said Susan Thompson, Kepler research scientist.
The Kepler space telescope has been hunting for planets since it was launched into orbit around the Sun in 2009.
It can spot tiny drops in a distant star’s brightness when a planet crosses in front of it, called a transit.
The latest groundbreaking discoveries were among 2,335 planets beyond our solar system that have been verifyied after being found by Kepler.
Of these, only 30 planets have been found to be earth-like planets potentially able to host life.
“This carefully-measured catalog is the foundation for directly answering one of astronomy’s most compelling questions – how many planets like our Earth are in the galaxy?” said Susan Thompson, Kepler research scientist.