Kepler
Kepler refers to several notable entities in the realm of science and space exploration:
Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630) was a German astronomer and mathematician who is best known for his laws of planetary motion. These laws, now known as Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion, were pivotal in the scientific revolution:
- First Law (Law of Ellipses): Planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one of the two foci.
- Second Law (Law of Equal Areas): A line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal intervals of time.
- Third Law (Law of Harmonies): The square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.
Kepler Space Telescope
The Kepler Space Telescope is a retired space observatory launched by NASA to discover Earth-size planets orbiting other stars. Here are some key points about the mission:
- Launch Date: March 7, 2009.
- Mission Objective: To survey a portion of our region of the Milky Way galaxy to detect and characterize Earth-like planets in or near the habitable zone, where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface.
- Discoveries: Kepler has confirmed over 2,600 exoplanets, many of which are in systems with multiple planets.
- Operational Status: The primary mission ended in 2013 due to the failure of two of its reaction wheels, but it continued with the K2 Mission until it was retired in 2018.
Kepler (Software)
Kepler is also the name of a scientific workflow software system designed to aid scientists, researchers, and engineers in creating, executing, and sharing complex data analyses and simulations. It allows:
- The design of workflows via a graphical user interface.
- Integration with numerous scientific tools and data sources.
- Support for large-scale data processing and analysis.
Kepler in Astronomy
The name Kepler is often used in astronomy to denote various celestial objects or missions:
- The Kepler Crater on the Moon, named in honor of Johannes Kepler.
- The Kepler-452b, an exoplanet discovered by the Kepler Space Telescope, which is often cited as an Earth's "older, larger cousin."
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