Current Event: Kepler Mission

NASA's Kepler Mission Changes how Astronomers Study Distant Stars

Iowa State University

October 26, 2010

ScienceDaily.com
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101026111729.htm

Kepler

On March 6, 2009 Scientists at NASA launched a space mission called the Kepler Asteroseismic Investigation. This mission is to use measurements of light from stars to determine whether or not a planet is able to support life. To record the brightness of the stars the Kepler has a photometer that is 37 inches in diameter and is attached to a 95 mega pixel CCD camera. Reaserchers ate the Space Telescope Science Institution have been using the data collected from the Kepler to study the stars. One thing they have found is a binary star system. A binary star system is formed when two stars orbit each other and is another example of Albert Einsteins Theory of Relativity.The information is also being used to study star quakes, and is helping scientists to learn about the interior of stars.The Kepler Asteroseismic Investigation will collect information on over 170,000 stars in only three and a half years. Overall, this mission will help further our understanding of the universe.

The photographs and data could have a very big impact on the scientific community.Fist, the photographs of stars could help us understand the universe and lead to important advancements in physics. Another possible discovery would be if the Kepler found life on other planets or planets that humans could live on. If they found alien life if could lead to advanced technology and would add to our understanding of plants, animals, chemistry, and many more areas of science. Also, if the Kepler found a planet that could be inhabited by humans then it could save us if there was some sort of disaster like in 5 million years when the sun expands.Overall, the Kepler could find information that would completely change our understanding of the universe.

This article was written by Iowa State University so all of the information is correct. In general most of the information made sense and most of the concepts were explained very well. One thing I learned was about the Theory of Relativity and what binary star systems were.I however did not completely understand the concept of star quakes and how scientists study them. I would also like to know how the Kepler is sending back information to the scientists when it is billions of miles away. Overall, this artical had lots of interesting information.

This artical was fascinating and taught me a lot about the stars and how measuring the brightness of a star could help scientists figure out if the planet could substain life. Before reading this artical I thought it was impossible for stars to orbit around each other, but now I know that it is possible. I agree with the authors that Kepler could lead to great scientific discoveries and completely change our understanding of the universe. I chose this article because i thought the cocept of using a photometer to determine the temperatures of the planets sounded very interesting because it could help discover life on other planets. In conclusion the Kepler uses new technology to help us learn more about the universe.