New Uses for the Kepler Telescope: A Survey of the Ecliptic Plane For Transiting Planets and Star Formation

With the loss of two reaction wheels, the period of Kepler’s ultra-high precision photometric performance is at an end. Yet Kepler retains unique capabilities impossible to replicate from the ground or with existing or future space missions. This White Paper calls for the use of Kepler to conduct a survey in the ecliptic plane to search for planet transits around stars at high galactic latitudes and to study star forming regions to investigate physics of very young stars not studied by Kepler in its prime mission. 

Even with reduced photometric precision, Kepler’s 1 m aperture will enable it to survey faint M stars to find ice giants and Super Earths in Habitable Zone orbits.

Charles Beichman, David Ciardi, Rachel Akeson, Peter Plavchan, Steve Howell, Jesse Christiansen, Stephen Kane, Ann Marie Cody, John Stauffer, Gautam Vasisht, Kevin Covey (Submitted on 4 Sep 2013)

Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)

Cite as: arXiv:1309.0918 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:1309.0918v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)

Submission history From: Chas Beichman [v1] Wed, 4 Sep 2013 05:43:28 GMT (535kb)