A Profusion of Exoplanets:Key Science

Results from the Kepler Mission

Jon M. JenkinsSETI Institute/NASA Ames Research Center

Thursday September 22, 2011

STScISAO

Do there exist many worlds or is there but a single one? This is one of the most noble and exalted questions in the study of Nature

— Saint Albertus Magnus 1206-1280 Scholar, Patron Saint of Scientists

Credit: Carter Roberts

The Kepler Mission

What fraction of sun-like stars in our galaxy host potentially habitable Earth-size planets?

How Hard is it to Find Good Planets?

Jupiter:

Jupiter1% area of the Sun (1/100)

Earth or Venus0.01% area of the Sun (1/10,000)

Kepler Field Of View

Credit: Carter Roberts

Launched March 7 2009

First Light Image

The Kepler Spacecraft and Instrument

Pre-Kepler Transiting Planets as of June 2009

Jupiter

Neptune

Earth

Kepler Candidates as of June 2010

Jupiter

Neptune

Earth

Kepler Candidates as of February 1, 2011

Jupiter

Neptune

Earth

Jupiter

Earth

Neptune

Kepler Candidates as of February 1, 2011

Kepler-11: Simply Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Kepler: Big Data, Big Challenges

Big Processing Challenges Instrument effects are large compared to signal of interest Observational noise is non-white and non-stationary ~100×106 tests per star for planetary signatures [O(N2)]

Big Data: >150,000 target stars 6x106 pixels collected and stored per ½ hour ~40 GB downlinked each month >40×109 points in the time series over 3.5 years

Instrumental Signatures

Bayesian approaches look promising!

The Search Problem

Solar Variability

Single Transit Statistics

Folded Transit Statistics

Conclusions

Kepler has found well over 1200 planetary candidates

Kepler has doubled the number of known planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy

We’re finding that small planets are more common than large planets

We’ve found a planet similar to Tatooine orbiting two stars

We find that multiple planet systems are quite common

Each day we are getting closer and closer to finding an Earth-Sun analog

Kepler-16b