Kepler Mission's One Year Anniversary

[Airbrush]

Kepler began operating on 5-12-09. As of the last data download they have 200 interesting planet candidates.

 

"The Science Team continues to analyze data collected by Kepler. Kepler’s list of interesting candidates has grown to well over 200. Meanwhile, the constellation Cygnus has returned to the night sky of the northern hemisphere, so the Science Team is actively involved in ground-based follow-up observations of Kepler’s candidate targets."

 

http://kepler.nasa.gov/news/mmu/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=39

 

Like the scientist on "The Universe" said, what Kepler is doing is so simple and yet so profound, that "it brings tears to his eyes." Me too.

[Airbrush]

By reporting that they have discovered "over 200 interesting candidates", does that mean they have detected over 200 FIRST transits? Then I believe the next year is critical in finding orbital periods for other potential Earths. If most other stars in our galaxy are smaller than our sun, then the habitable zones around such stars is probably a narrower range of distances from the star, and closer to the star, maybe the distance between Venus and Earth? Correct me if I'm wrong, then most, if not all, candidates for Earth-like planets, with liquid water, would show another transit in less than one year. That will be before 5-12-2011. What an exciting realization we will have then!

 

Longer than one-year orbital periods may be possible if the other Earths are much more, or less, massive than Earth, yet habitable? Is that why Kepler is a 3-year plus mission? How long can Kepler continue to operate? After it is done with that region of space it, can it switch to another region and start looking again?

Edited May 19, 2010 by Airbrush