Topic: William Borucki

Kepler, a prolific hunter for other Earths, is suddenly in trouble

Kepler's quest for an Earth-like planet orbiting a sun-like star has been put on hold, NASA said, after the spacecraft sensed it was facing in the wrong direction and put itself in 'safe mode.'

Livable super-Earths? Two candidates among Kepler's latest finds.

Researchers unveiled a total of three planets Thursday, including two potentially livable super-Earths. The discoveries bring the Kepler team closer to its goal.

New planet discovered to be first in habitable zone

New planet discovery excites scientists: the discovery of a new planet 600 light years away with roughly the right temperature for plant and animal habitation is causing a buzz in the science community.  Though much larger than Earth, scientists haven't ruled out the possibility of life being discovered.

Kepler telescope's astonishing haul: 54 planet-candidates in 'habitable zone'

The Kepler space telescope is designed to look for planets like Earth that could have life. But no one expected it to find 54 planet-candidates at Goldilocks distances from their stars – not too warm or cold for life as we know it – in its first four months of operation.

Gliese 581g: If there's life there, how will we know?

Gliese 581g could be scanned for radio emissions. And its atmosphere could be observed for signs of chemicals produced by manufacturing.

Alien planet? NASA spacecraft spots hundreds of candidates.

Alien planet hunt: Scanning for habitable worlds outside our solar system, NASA's Kepler mission has already spotted hundreds of candidates.

NASA's Kepler finds its first five planets - an odd assortment

NASA's Kepler space telescope is just beginning its three-year mission to find Earth-like planets in habitable zones around stars. The first new planets it has found, announced Monday, include two so hot they would melt iron.

A brilliant launch for NASA's planet-hunting pioneer

Kepler mission to hunt for planets just our size

The US will launch the Kepler spacecraft Friday to look for other Earths.

NASA's planet hunters enlist backyard astronomers