Graph of transit

Kepler measures the starlight intensity. The information will resemble an EKG that displays heartbeat. A little pulse or beat is created whenever a planet, as seen from the spacecraft, passes in front of its parent star. We can identify and confirm the presence of planets the size of Earth from the repetitive beats, and we can find out information about the planet's orbit and size. Unlike most astronomical missions, the scientific data from Kepler are delivered in a unique manner. Kepler will provide light curves derived from brightness variations gathered from transits rather than gorgeous photos or even colourful spectrograms. Credit: Dana Berry and NASA Ames.

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