NASAs Kelper Finds Five Exoplanets – 4-01-10

NASA's Kepler space telescope, designed to
find Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of sun-like stars, has
discovered its first five new exoplanets, or planets beyond our solar
system. 

Kepler's high sensitivity to both small and large planets enabled the
discovery of the exoplanets, named Kepler 4b, 5b, 6b, 7b and 8b. The
discoveries were announced Monday, Jan. 4, by the members of the
Kepler science team during a news briefing at the American
Astronomical Society meeting in Washington. 

"These observations contribute to our understanding of how planetary
systems form and evolve from the gas and dust disks that give rise to
both the stars and their planets," said William Borucki of NASA's
Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. Borucki is the
mission's science principal investigator. "The discoveries also show
that our science instrument is working well. Indications are that
Kepler will meet all its science goals." 

Known as "hot Jupiters" because of their high masses and extreme
temperatures, the new exoplanets range in size from similar to
Neptune to larger than Jupiter. They have orbits ranging from 3.3 to
4.9 days. Estimated temperatures of the planets range from 2,200 to
3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than molten lava and much too hot
for life as we know it. All five of the exoplanets orbit stars hotter
and larger than Earth's sun. 

"It's gratifying to see the first Kepler discoveries rolling off the
assembly line," said Jon Morse, director of the Astrophysics Division
at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We expected Jupiter-size planets
in short orbits to be the first planets Kepler could detect. It's
only a matter of time before more Kepler observations lead to smaller
planets with longer period orbits, coming closer and closer to the
discovery of the first Earth analog."

Data: Nasa