If you’ve ever looked up at the night sky and wondered if there’s life out there beyond our planet, you’re not alone. Scientists and researchers have been searching for signs of life beyond Earth for decades, and thanks to NASA’s Kepler telescope, we’ve made some incredible discoveries.

Launched in 2009 as part of NASA’s Discovery program, Kepler’s sole mission was to search for exoplanets in a particular patch of the Milky Way galaxy. Over the course of its nine-year mission, Kepler observed over half a million stars and confirmed the existence of over 2,600 new exoplanets.

These exoplanets are unlike anything we’ve seen in our own solar system. Some are massive, while others orbit so close to their stars that they complete one revolution every few days. Others have strange features, like entire hemispheres covered in oceans of molten rock or binary sunsets.

But what really excites scientists is the discovery of exoplanets that are similar in size to Earth and orbit their stars at a safe distance, in what’s known as the habitable zone. These planets have the potential to support life, and in September 2019, two scientific teams independently announced the discovery of k218b, an exoplanet located 124 light-years away from Earth, which shows signs of liquid water in its atmosphere.

What makes k218b even more exciting is that it orbits a red dwarf star, the most common type of star in the Milky Way. According to Kepler’s data, an estimated six percent of red dwarf stars have Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone. This means that there could be countless other exoplanets out there just waiting to be discovered.

Kepler used what’s known as the transit method to detect exoplanets, which involves measuring the dimming of a star’s light when a planet passes in front of it. This method is incredibly challenging, as the level of dimming caused by an Earth-sized planet passing in front of a star is only 0.008 percent.

Despite the challenges, Kepler’s discoveries have opened up a whole new world of possibilities for scientists and researchers. The search for life beyond Earth continues, and with new technology and tools at our disposal, who knows what we might discover next?

In conclusion, Kepler’s legacy is one of wonder, excitement, and endless possibilities. It has brought us closer to discovering whether we are truly alone in the universe, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds.

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