Kepler Mission
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Kepler-51 Super-Puff Planets Baffle Scientists as JWST Finds No Atmosphere Clues
The Kepler-51 system hosts three ultra-light “super-puff” planets with massive atmospheres and tiny cores. New JWST observations failed to detect atmospheric signatures, suggesting thick hydrocarbon haze and deepening the mystery of how such worlds form.
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Study Reveals Not All Sub-Neptune Exoplanets Have Magma Ocean
This finding is also important for ongoing observations by the James Webb Space Telescope.
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Exoplanets Explained: How Astronomers Find Worlds Orbiting Stars Beyond the Sun
Exoplanets are planets orbiting stars outside our solar system, hidden by stellar glare and detected indirectly. Astronomers identify them by tracking star wobbles or dips in brightness during planetary transits. NASA’s Kepler mission revealed thousands, with TESS now expanding the search. These discoveries confirm that planetary systems are abun...
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NASA Missions Uncover a Diverse Galaxy of Super-Earths, Raising New Questions About Planetary Evolution
Super-Earths are among the most common planets in the galaxy, yet none exist in our solar system. Larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, they range from ocean-covered worlds to scorched, atmosphere-less rocks. Some orbit within habitable zones, making them prime candidates for life. NASA’s Kepler and TESS missions, along with upcoming telesc...
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Sun’s Magnetic Activity Is Making It Difficult to Gauge Its True Age, Study Finds
Astronomers have traditionally relied on helioseismology to estimate the Sun's age by analysing the vibrations that ripple through its interior. However, recent research has uncovered a significant obstacle, the Sun's magnetic activity, which follows an 11-year cycle, appears to be distorting these measurements. Data from the Birmingham Solar Oscil...
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NASA's Kepler Data Adds 301 Planets, Thanks to Machine Learning
A new deep learning method has added a whopping 301 exoplanets to the total tally. These planets were added to the already validated 4,569 planets which are orbiting several distant stars. The additions were made with the help of a deep neural method called ExoMiner.
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Earth-Like Exoplanet Found Orbiting a Sun-Like Star a Little Over 3,000 Light Years Away: Study
Planet KOI-456.04' is thought to be similar to Earth for several reasons. It is said to have a similar distance between its sun - Kepler-160 - with an orbit that takes it 378 days to complete. It also thought to receive 93 percent as much light as Earth gets from the Sun.
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So Long, Kepler, and Thanks for All the Planets
In nine years in orbit, Kepler has confirmed the existence of 2,681 exoplanets by tracking the shadows they cast as they pass in front of their stars.
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NASA Bids Goodbye To Planet-Hunting Kepler Space Telescope
NASA has decided to retire its Kepler space telescope that discovered more than 2,600 planets and ran out of fuel needed for further science operations.
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NASA Retires Its Planet Hunter, the Kepler Space Telescope
Currently orbiting the sun 156 million kilometres km from Earth, the Kepler telescope will drift further from our planet when mission engineers turn off its radio transmitters.
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Kepler-51 Super-Puff Planets Baffle Scientists as JWST Finds No Atmosphere Clues
The Kepler-51 system hosts three ultra-light “super-puff” planets with massive atmospheres and tiny cores. New JWST observations failed to detect atmospheric signatures, suggesting thick hydrocarbon haze and deepening the mystery of how such worlds form.
-
Study Reveals Not All Sub-Neptune Exoplanets Have Magma Ocean
This finding is also important for ongoing observations by the James Webb Space Telescope.
-
Exoplanets Explained: How Astronomers Find Worlds Orbiting Stars Beyond the Sun
Exoplanets are planets orbiting stars outside our solar system, hidden by stellar glare and detected indirectly. Astronomers identify them by tracking star wobbles or dips in brightness during planetary transits. NASA’s Kepler mission revealed thousands, with TESS now expanding the search. These discoveries confirm that planetary systems are abun...
-
NASA Missions Uncover a Diverse Galaxy of Super-Earths, Raising New Questions About Planetary Evolution
Super-Earths are among the most common planets in the galaxy, yet none exist in our solar system. Larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, they range from ocean-covered worlds to scorched, atmosphere-less rocks. Some orbit within habitable zones, making them prime candidates for life. NASA’s Kepler and TESS missions, along with upcoming telesc...
-
Sun’s Magnetic Activity Is Making It Difficult to Gauge Its True Age, Study Finds
Astronomers have traditionally relied on helioseismology to estimate the Sun's age by analysing the vibrations that ripple through its interior. However, recent research has uncovered a significant obstacle, the Sun's magnetic activity, which follows an 11-year cycle, appears to be distorting these measurements. Data from the Birmingham Solar Oscil...
-
NASA's Kepler Data Adds 301 Planets, Thanks to Machine Learning
A new deep learning method has added a whopping 301 exoplanets to the total tally. These planets were added to the already validated 4,569 planets which are orbiting several distant stars. The additions were made with the help of a deep neural method called ExoMiner.
-
Earth-Like Exoplanet Found Orbiting a Sun-Like Star a Little Over 3,000 Light Years Away: Study
Planet KOI-456.04' is thought to be similar to Earth for several reasons. It is said to have a similar distance between its sun - Kepler-160 - with an orbit that takes it 378 days to complete. It also thought to receive 93 percent as much light as Earth gets from the Sun.
-
So Long, Kepler, and Thanks for All the Planets
In nine years in orbit, Kepler has confirmed the existence of 2,681 exoplanets by tracking the shadows they cast as they pass in front of their stars.
-
NASA Bids Goodbye To Planet-Hunting Kepler Space Telescope
NASA has decided to retire its Kepler space telescope that discovered more than 2,600 planets and ran out of fuel needed for further science operations.
-
NASA Retires Its Planet Hunter, the Kepler Space Telescope
Currently orbiting the sun 156 million kilometres km from Earth, the Kepler telescope will drift further from our planet when mission engineers turn off its radio transmitters.
