Zooming in on Kepler's Field of View
April 22, 2009
This image from NASA's Kepler mission shows the telescope's full field of view -- an expansive star-rich patch of sky in the constellations Cygnus and Lyra stretching across 100 square degrees, or the equivalent of two side-by-side dips of the Big Dipper.
A cluster of stars, called NGC 6791, and a star with a known planet, called TrES-2, are outlined. The cluster is eight billion years old, and located 13,000 light-years from Earth. It is called an open cluster because its stars are loosely bound and have started to spread out. TrES-2 is a hot Jupiter-like planet known to cross in front of, or transit, its star every 2.5 days. Kepler will hunt for transiting planets that are as small as Earth.
A cluster of stars, called NGC 6791, and a star with a known planet, called TrES-2, are outlined. The cluster is eight billion years old, and located 13,000 light-years from Earth. It is called an open cluster because its stars are loosely bound and have started to spread out. TrES-2 is a hot Jupiter-like planet known to cross in front of, or transit, its star every 2.5 days. Kepler will hunt for transiting planets that are as small as Earth.
Topics:
Environment, Environment, Environment, Exoplanetology, Exoplanetology, Exoplanetology, Constellations, Constellations, Constellations, Open clusters, Open clusters, Astronomy, NASA's Kepler Mission, Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey, Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey, Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey, TrES-2, TrES-2, TrES-2, Discovery program, Discovery program, Discovery program, Kepler Mission, Kepler Mission, Kepler Mission, Johannes Kepler, Johannes Kepler, Johannes Kepler, Lyra, Lyra, NGC, NGC, NGC, Cygnus, Cygnus, Cygnus, Open clusters, Extrasolar planets, Extrasolar planets, Extrasolar planets, Kepler Mission, Kepler Mission, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
