Operating under this principle, Kepler looks for disruption in the light from a star which can indicate that there’s a planet in orbit around it. With careful observation it’s possible to ...

This orbit would enable Kepler to keep itself trained on the specific point in the sky that had been chosen for its studies. On April 7, 2009 the telescope cover was jettisoned and Kepler achieved ...

Our quest to find a “second Earth” has long occupied scientists and dreamers alike. The possibility of another world ...

It does this by detecting slight drops in the brightness of stars, signaling the presence of one or more planets hanging out in orbit. Kepler has spotted many new worlds during its mission ...

Planets change orbit shape around Neptune’s size. Metal-rich stars help giant planets form. Eccentric orbits suggest chaotic planet formation.

Keep your eye on the ball” is a motto for many athletes—and for astronomers trying to find Earth-threatening space rocks ...

To see this, recall the definition of angular momentum: Kepler's second law states that the area swept out by the line connecting the satellite to the Earth's center over a given time Δt is a constant ...

The shape of a planet's orbit is one of its fundamental properties, along with its size and distance from its host star.

Moreover, with truly prescient insight, Kepler suggested that the planets were kept in orbit by a force emanating from the sun itself. This radical idea was eventually demonstrated by Isaac ...

The author is an HCMC distinguished professor at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study. His life was marked by unrelenting misfortune. At the age of four, he contracted smallpox, losing most of ...