Quarter 4 Project Summary

My project this quarter is over the NASA Kepler Mission. NASA is conducting this mission with the Kepler Telescope, which measures light coming from distant stars and sees when the brightness dims for a brief period. When these dimming periods are habitual, then it is clear then there is a planet there. The amount of light blocked as well as how long it takes for the pattern to be repeated lets astronomers determine how big the planet is, as well as how far away it is from the star. From this, the temperature can be determined, and when used in conjunction with other telescopes and observatory's, it can see other characteristics of the planets.

All of these characteristics lead to the main goal of the Kepler Mission: to find exoplanets in the habitable zone. To do this, scientists look for planets that have similar densities, size, and distance from the star is similar to Earth, or has a temperature that could potentially support life. Another unrelated goal of the mission is to find multiple star systems and the planets that orbit them. So far, Kepler has found over 1000 planets, some of which are actually in the habitable zone and could have life.