Astronomers discover the last three planets the Kepler telescope observed before going dark
Tuesday, May 30, 2023 - 10:03
in Astronomy & Space
More than 5,000 planets are confirmed to exist beyond our solar system. Over half were discovered by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope, a resilient observatory that far outlasted its original planned mission. Over nine and a half years, the spacecraft trailed the Earth, scanning the skies for periodic dips in starlight that could signal the presence of a planet crossing in front of its star.