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  • The diagram compares the planets of our inner solar system to Kepler-62.

    Kepler-62 and the Solar System

    The diagram compares the planets of the inner solar system to Kepler-62, a five-planet system about 1,200 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. The five planets of Kepler-62 orbit a star c...

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  • An artist's concept of Kepler-62e.

    Kepler-62e

    The artist's concept depicts Kepler-62e, a super-Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of a star smaller and cooler than the sun, located about 1,200 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra...

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  • An artist's concept of Kepler-62f against a starry background.

    Kepler-62f, a Small Habitable Zone World

    The artist's concept depicts Kepler-62f, a super-Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of a star smaller and cooler than the sun, located about 1,200 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra...

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  • The diagram compares the planets of our inner solar system to Kepler-69, a two-planet system.

    Kepler-69 and the Solar System

    The diagram compares the planets of the inner solar system to Kepler-69, a two-planet system about 2,700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. The two planets of Kepler-69 orbit a star t...

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  • An artist's concept of the planet Kepler-69c.

    Kepler-69c: Super-Venus

    The artist's concept depicts Kepler-69c, a super-Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of a star like our sun, located about 2,700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.

    K...

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  • The line up compares the smallest known planet to the moon and planets in our solar system

    A Moon-size Line Up

    NASA's Kepler mission has discovered a new planetary system that is home to the smallest planet yet found around a star like our sun, approximately 210 light-years away in the constellation Lyra.
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  • The artist's concept depicts the new planet dubbed Kepler-37b.

    A Tiny Planet

    NASA's Kepler mission has discovered a new planetary system that is home to the smallest planet yet found around a star like our sun, approximately 210 light-years away in the constellation Lyra.
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  • Artist's conception of a hypothetical planet with two moons orbiting a red dwarf star.

    Red Dwarf Planet

    The artist's conception shows a hypothetical planet with two moons orbiting in the habitable zone of a red dwarf star. Using publicly available data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope, astronomers at ...

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  • A bar chart showing the Kepler planet candidates as of Jan. 7, with 1,290 Neptune-size, 816 super-Earth-size, 351 Earth-size, 202 Jupiter-size and 81 larger.

    Size of Kepler Planet Candidates

    Since the last Kepler catalog was released in February 2012, the number of candidates discovered in the Kepler data has increased by 20 percent and now totals 2,740 potential planets orbiting 2,036 st...

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  • The timeline series includes a compilation of artist's concepts depicting milestones from the Kepler mission—NASA's first mission capable of detecting Earth-size planets around sun-like stars. Milestones include launch of the space telescope, the first transiting planetary system, the smallest plane

    Kepler Timeline

    The timeline series includes a compilation of artist's concepts depicting milestones from the Kepler mission—NASA's first mission capable of detecting Earth-size planets around sun-like stars. Milesto...

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  • This diagram compares our own solar system to Kepler-47, a double-star system containing two planets, one orbiting in the so-called

    Orbiting in the Habitable Zone of Two Suns

    This diagram compares our own solar system to Kepler-47, a double-star system containing two planets, one orbiting in the so-called "habitable zone." This is the sweet spot in a planetary system where...

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  • The two planets of Kepler-47, the first transiting circumbinary system.

    Two Planets of Kepler-47

    The two planets of Kepler-47, the first transiting circumbinary system -- a system with more than one planet orbiting a pair of stars. Kepler-47b, on the right, has three times the radius of earth and...

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  • This artist's concept illustrates Kepler-47, the first transiting circumbinary system.

    Sharing the Light of Two Suns

    This artist's concept illustrates Kepler-47, the first transiting circumbinary system -- multiple planets orbiting two suns – 4,900 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Cygnus. The system was ...

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  • a table showing the 41 new planets

    41 New Planets in 20 Star Systems

    Two independent papers have been submitted confirming 41 new transiting planets in 20 multiple planet systems in the Kepler field of view. One paper (J Steffen et al, 2012) confirms 27 transiting plan...

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  • An artist's conception shows Kepler-36c as it might look from the surface of neighboring Kepler-36b.

    Planetrise

    An artist's conception shows Kepler-36c as it might look from the surface of neighboring Kepler-36b.

    Image credit: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/David Aguilar.

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  • graph of the light measured from a star as a planet transits it

    Light Curve of a Planet Transiting Its Star

    Transit data are rich with information. By measuring the depth of the dip in brightness and knowing the size of the star, scientists can determine the size or radius of the planet. The orbital period ...

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  • mural showing the first recorded transit of Venus from 1639

    The First Recorded Transit of Venus

    William Crabtree (1610–1644) was an astronomer, mathematician, and merchant from what is now Greater Manchester, England. He was one of only two people to observe and record the first predicted transi...

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  • The artist's concept depicts a comet-like tail of a possible disintegrating super Mercury-size planet candidate as it transits its parent star named KIC 12557548.

    Disintegrating Super Mercury-size Planet Candidate

    The artist's concept depicts a comet-like tail of a possible disintegrating super Mercury-size planet candidate as it transits its parent star named KIC 12557548. At an orbital distance of only twice ...

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  • The histogram summarizes the findings in the Feb. 27, 2012 Kepler Planet Candidate catalog release. The catalog contains 2,321 planet candidates identified during the first 16 months of observation conducted May 2009 to September 2010. Of the 46 planet candidates found in the habitable zone, the reg

    Kepler Planet Candidates by Size, Feb. 27, 2012

    The histogram summarizes the findings in the Feb. 27, 2012 Kepler Planet Candidate catalog release. The catalog contains 2,321 planet candidates identified during the first 16 months of observation co...

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  • Kepler Mission Planet Candidates, a Family Portrait

    Kepler Mission Planet Candidates, a Family Portrait

    Using NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft, astronomers have discovered 2,326 candidate planets orbiting other suns since the Kepler mission's search for Earth-like worlds began in 2009. To find th...

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