The document summarizes the latest activities and new mission of the Kepler space telescope. Some key points: - Kepler's original mission was to determine if Earth-sized planets are common or rare in our galaxy by looking for Earth-sized exoplanets. - It provided data for future missions to measure the composition of exoplanet atmospheres. - Kepler has found many Earth-sized planets and planets in the habitable zones of their stars, but more remain to be discovered. - A new K2 mission continues Kepler's exoplanet search, looking in different areas of the sky.

1. Kepler: Latest Activities and a New Mission
Alan Gould, Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley
Mission: Determine if Earths are common or rare in our galaxy.
Provide data to for future missions that measure composition
of exoplanet atmospheres
SAO
Astronomy
Education
Alliance
Meeting
Global
Hands-On
Universe
2014 Sept 8
Cascais,
Portugal

2. Education Page from Kepler Website
kepler.nasa.gov

3. Transit Tracks
Orrery Light Curve
How many planets?
Which is biggest?
Which is closest to the star?
How can you tell?

4. Online Interactive:

5. MANY
PLANETS
ARE
SIMILAR TO
EARTH IN
SIZE

6. SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND CHANGE OVER ONE YEAR OF
OPERATIONS
Most large planets have been found,
but many small planets are yet to be discovered.

7. Estimated Occurrence Rate of
Planetary Candidates
50<Porb<300 day (Burke et al. 2014)

8. DISINTEGRATING PLANET
Rappaport et al., 2000, ApJ749:1
Evaporation time scale ~ 0.2 Gyr
Semi-major axis = 0.013 AU
Orbital Period = 15.7 hours
Star: KIC 12557548;
Mid-K; Teff = 4400K
Tp ~ 2100K

9. Radius =1.47 R
Mass =3.33 M
Density = 5.8 gr/cm3
Semi-major axis = 0.0167 AU
Orbital Period = 0.84 days
Equilibrium Temperature = 1833 K

10. CIRCUMBINARY PLANETS ARE BEING DISCOVERED
Corrected view from Tatooine
Kepler-16b; Size = 8.4 R
Orbitial Period = 228.8 days
Density = 0.964 gr/cc
Teq = -88 C = -126 F

11. KEPLER-47: A PLANETARY SYSTEM ORBITING A DOUBLE STAR
WITH ONE PLANET IN THE HABITABLE ZONE
Sizes = 3.0 R & 4.6 R
Orbital periods = 49.5 d & 303.2 days
Star A; Teff = 5636, R* = 1.04 Rsun
Kepler-47c is in the habitable zone of the binary and receives an average
flux of 0.87 Solar. (For reference, Mars & Venus receive 0.43 & 1.91 S0, respectively.

12. Size: 2.38 R
Orbital period: 289.9 d
Mass (upper limit, 1 ): ≤ 36 M
Star: 5518 K, R*= 0.979 Rʘ, [Fe/H] = -0.29
KEPLER-22b; POSSIBLE WATER-PLANET
IN THE HABITABLE ZONE

14. EARTH-SIZE PLANET IN THE HZ ORBITING A RED DWARF STAR

15.  Most stars have planets!
 Earth-size planets are common
 Planets are being found in the hz
 However no earth-size planets orbiting a star like our sun have been
discovered.
 APPROXIMATELY 1 BILLION EARTH-SIZE PLANETS IN THE HZ OF
SOLAR LIKE STARS!
 We have made the first step in our exploration of our galaxy.
 We have a long way to go:
Do the planets have atmospheres? Do they have H2O & CO2 needed for
life?
Do they have life? Do they have intelligent life?
 THE BIG QUESTION:
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

16. K2 Mission
Reaction wheel
Planned target fields of view

17. SOMEWHERE
by Ray Goodwin
Somewhere there are mountains
Glistening in the snow
Somewhere there are mountains
That we shall never know
Somewhere there are rivers
Flowing fast and free
Somewhere there are rivers
That we can never see
Somewhere there are oceans
And sun drenched island sands
Forests full of creatures
In vastly distant lands
Somewhere there’s a planet
Beneath an alien star
The people watch our tiny sun
And wonder where we are
One day perhaps we’ll find them
Across the void of space
Perhaps through ways as yet not known
We’ll meet them face to face