Kepler Telescope Spots Hotter, Weirder Bodies Than Ever Before Seen (In The Sky, That Is)
It's been less than a year since NASA launched the Kepler Space Telescope, and the device is already paying off with new discoveries. In particular, NASA scientists have identified a planet with the consistency of styrofoam, a gaggle of exoplanets, and two never-before-observed objects too small to be stars, but too hot to be planets. NASA researchers revealed these discoveries yesterday, during a meeting of the American Astronomical Society. These revelations cover the first data sets produced by the Kepler Telescope, which launched in March 2009. The styrofoam planet, called Kepler 7b, is 1.6 times the size of Jupiter, and less dense than water. If that wasn't weird enough, Kepler 7b also maintains a toasty 2300-degree Fahrenheit surface temperature, roughly hot enough to melt gold. Related ArticlesThe Top 10 Telescopes of All TimeNewly Refurbished Hubble Sends Back Stunning First ImagesWhat Comes After Hubble?TagsScience, Stuart Fox, astronomy, astrophysics, exoplanets, kepler space...