KEPLER-79'S LOW DENSITY PLANETS

Kepler constraints on planets near hot Jupiters.

We present the results of a search for planetary companions orbiting near hot Jupiter planet candidates (Jupiter-size candidates with orbital periods near 3 d) identified in the Kepler data through its sixth quarter of science operations. Special emphasis is given to companions between the 21 interior and exterior mean-motion resonances. A photometric transit search excludes companions with siz...

Planets in open clusters detectable by Kepler

While hundreds of planets have been discovered around field stars, only a few are known in star clusters. To explain the lack of short-period giant planets in globular clusters (GCs), such as 47 Tucane and ω Centauri, it has been suggested that their low metallicities may have prevented planet formation. Alternatively, the high rates of close stellar encounters in these clusters may have influe...

Kepler: A Search for Terrestrial Planets

The Simple Aperture Photometry (SAP) product generated by the PA (Photometric Analysis) pipeline module and the PDC (Pre-­‐search Data Conditioning) processed data are designed for automated photometry on over 160,000 stars. Although significant effort has been expended to make these products robust and reliable, they do not produce the best photometry for every target. To mitigate the impact o...

Kepler: A Search for Terrestrial Planets

Kepler-68: Three Planets, One with a Density between That of Earth and Ice Giants

NASA’s Kepler Mission has revealed two transiting planets orbiting Kepler-68. Follow-up Doppler measurements have established the mass of the innermost planet and revealed a third jovian-mass planet orbiting beyond the two transiting planets. Kepler-68b, in a 5.4 day orbit, has MP = 8.3 +2.2 −2.4 M⊕, RP = 2.31 +0.06 −0.09 R⊕, and ρP = 3.32 +0.86 −0.98 g cm , giving Kepler-68b a density intermed...