Kepler
Transit survey that transformed exoplanet demographics.
Overview
NASA's Kepler spacecraft monitored the brightness of about 150,000 stars in one sky field, detecting the dimming signatures of transiting planets. Its statistics established that planets are abundant and that small rocky planets are common in the Galaxy.
Key discoveries
- More than 2,600 confirmed exoplanets
- Super-Earths and sub-Neptunes shown to be the most common planet types
- First rocky exoplanets and planets in the habitable zone
- K2 mission's extended survey after the pointing failure