Kepler Mission
A landmark NASA mission for exoplanet discovery
About the Kepler Mission
The Kepler Space Telescope was launched by NASA in 2009 to search for Earth-size planets orbiting other stars. By continuously monitoring the brightness of over 150,000 stars in a fixed patch of sky, Kepler revolutionized our understanding of planetary systems. Its primary method was the transit technique, detecting the tiny dips in starlight caused by planets passing in front of their host stars.
Kepler’s discoveries have shown that planets are common in our galaxy, including many potentially habitable worlds. The mission ended in 2018 after nearly a decade of groundbreaking science.
About the Kepler Dataset
The Kepler dataset contains detailed measurements for thousands of planet candidates and confirmed exoplanets. Each entry includes information about the planet, its host star, and the detection process. Here are some example features:
- kepid: Unique Kepler target ID
- kepler_name: Official planet name
- koi_disposition: Disposition (e.g., Candidate, Confirmed)
- koi_period: Orbital period (days)
- koi_prad: Planet radius (Earth radii)
- koi_teq: Equilibrium temperature (K)
- koi_srad: Stellar radius (Solar radii)
- ...
See the full Kepler feature list for more details.
Scientific Impact
Kepler’s data has led to the discovery of thousands of exoplanets, including Earth-sized worlds in habitable zones. Notable discoveries include Kepler-186f (the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star), Kepler-452b, and the TRAPPIST-1 system. The mission’s legacy continues to shape our search for life beyond the Solar System.