NASA's Kepler Mission: Exotic Solar Systems on the Path to Earth-Like Planets

Mar 25, 2015

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Humans have long wondered what other planetary systems are like, and if potentially Earth-like planets exist around other stars. NASA's Kepler Mission is a space telescope that was designed to answer these questions. From four years of Kepler data we can now confidently say that the average planetary system looks nothing like our own. Nature often makes compact planetary systems where several planets orbit closer in that Mercury's distance, where our planetary system is entirely empty. Within the startling diversity in planetary systems, Kepler data can be combed to understand how common Earth-size planets really are. I will discuss a variety of recent estimates that all point to tens of billions of Earth-sized planets in our Milky Way, and discuss the fraction of these that may be temperate enough to potentially support life.

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A new "science cafe" is starting up in Santa Cruz, designed to connect the Santa Cruz community to the latest research happening at UC Santa Cruz. Science on Tap, held monthly at the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz, features scientists from UCSC who will present their work and engage in discussions with the audience in a relaxed setting. The informal talks are aimed at a general audience, including nonscientists and people not affiliated with UCSC.

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