Kepler Space Telescope – Astronomy Now

White dwarf chows down on brown dwarf companion in feeding frenzy

26 January 2020 Astronomy Now

A chance observation buried in the Kepler Space Telescope’s data archive revealed a dwarf nova that brightened by a factor of 1,600 in a single day.

Cotton-candy worlds may be steps on planetary evolution ladder

26 December 2019 Astronomy Now

The three lowest-density exoplanets yet discovered may be steps on the planetary evolution ladder, shrinking to resemble more commonplace worlds over time.

CHEOPS launched on follow-up exoplanet research mission

24 December 2019 Stephen Clark

The European Space Agency’s CHEOPs satellite is now in space for an ambitious mission to study already-discovered exoplanets in more detail.

TESS completes first year of operation; begins mapping northern sky

28 July 2019 Astronomy Now

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite – TESS – mapped the southern sky during its first year of operation and is now imaging the northern sky in search of exoplanets and other phenomena.

A third planet found in binary star system

19 April 2019 Astronomy Now

Astronomers studying data from the Kepler Space Telescope have found a third planet orbiting a binary star system in Cygnus.

TESS on track to revolutionise exoplanet astronomy

8 January 2019 Astronomy Now

In just three months, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, discovered three confirmed worlds, 280 candidates and six supernovae.

Type 1a supernova, caught in the act of exploding, raises new questions

30 November 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have captured the light from a white dwarf exploding in a Type 1a supernova, shedding light on the mechanism powering the blasts while raising fresh questions.

Kepler spacecraft, nearly out of fuel, suspends exoplanet search

9 July 2018 Astronomy Now

The Kepler spacecraft, nearly out of fuel, has suspended its search for exoplanets pending the downlink of stored data. Flight controllers hope to resume observations in August for as long as the dwindling propellant holds out.

With fuel running low, Kepler begins 18th observing campaign

27 May 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope began its 18th observing campaign on 12 May, an 82-day run focusing on star clusters, galaxies and a handful of solar system bodies as the spacecraft nears the end of its life. Among its targets is 99942 Apophis, an asteroid expected to pass close by Earth in 2029.

TESS planet hunter snaps test photo showing 200,000 stars

18 May 2018 Astronomy Now

NASA’s planet-hunting TESS satellite has completed a gravity assist flyby of the moon and sent back an initial test image from one of its four cameras showing about 200,000 stars. Science operations are expected to begin in mid June.