An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A → NASA space telescope launched in March 2009 to discover Earth-size planets using the → transit method. The telescope has a diameter of 0.95 m and its
only instrument is a → photometer that continuously monitors the brightness of over 145,000 → main sequence stars in a fixed field of view of 115 deg² (about 12° diameter). The expected
mission lifetime is 3.5 years extendible to at least 6 years.

See also: In honor of Johannes → Kepler; → spacecraft.