Planet seeker might live to hunt again

• Autores: Jacob Aron
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2922, 2013, pág. 10
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Reports of the death of the principal planet hunter have been greatly exaggerated. The prolific Kepler space telescope may yet be able to keep seeking out planets, this time with a gravitational magnifying glass. Keith Horne of the University of St Andrews, UK and Andrew Gould at Ohio State University in Columbus suggest that the hobbled telescope can use its gear to take up microlensing, an alternative way to spot planets. The pair estimates that Kepler could find a few dozen exoplanets a year with microlensing. These would be very different from its previous quarry. With transits, it is easier to spot planets that orbit close to their stars--crucial for finding worlds warm enough to host liquid water, and maybe life.