Iminyaka engaphezu kweyisishiyagalolunye, isibonakude sasemkhathini i-Kepler saba nendima ebalulekile ekufuneni amaplanethi angaphandle kwesimiso sonozungezilanga wethu., ihlinzeka ngevolumu engakaze ibonwe yedatha eye yashintsha ukuqonda kwethu indawo yonke. Ukusebenza kwayo ngokungakhathali kanye nezinto ezimangalisayo ezikutholile kuye kwayenza yaba enye yamaphrojekthi asemkhathini aphumelela kakhulu emlandweni wanamuhla.
Kusukela yethulwa ngoMashi 2009, uKepler useke wahlola isibhakabhaka ngenhloso yokuthola amaplanethi anjengoMhlaba., ikakhulukazi lezo ezingase zitholakale kulokho okubizwa ngokuthi 'indawo okuhlalwa kuyo' yezinkanyezi eziphethe. Nakuba ekuqaleni yayiklanyelwe umkhankaso weminyaka emithathu nengxenye, ikwazile ukunwebeka kuze kube u-2018, idlule kude kakhulu obekulindelwe ekuqaleni.
Umsuka kanye nesakhiwo se-telescope ye-Kepler
Isibonakude sasemkhathini i-Kepler sathuthukiswa yi-NASA ngokuphendula amashumi eminyaka okuqagela mayelana nokuba khona kwama-exoplanets.. Umsebenzi wawo wenziwe ngenxa yemizamo eholwa usosayensi uBill Borucki, okwathi ngeminyaka yawo-80s wasungula ukusetshenziswa kwe-photometry ukuthola amaplanethi esebenzisa indlela yokuhamba.
Umkhumbi wawunobude obungamamitha angu-4,7 nobubanzi obungamamitha angu-2,7, enesisindo esingaphezu kwe-1.000 kg. Ifaka isibonakude iSchmidt esinembobo engamamitha angu-0,95 kanye nenzwa enkulu ye-CCD yamaphikiseli angu-95-million, enamandla kunawo wonke ake athunyelwa emkhathini.
I-Kepler yafakwa emzileni we-heliocentric onenkathi yezinsuku ezingu-372, ecishe ifane neyoMhlaba, eyenza kube lula ukudluliswa kwedatha eplanethini yethu ngaphandle kokuphazanyiswa yindikimba yasezulwini eseduze. Lesi sici somklamo we-orbital singahlotshaniswa ne yini i-orbit.
Indlela entsha nendlela yokubuka
Ukhiye wempumelelo ka-Kepler usekhonweni lakhe lokuhlaziya ngokuqhubekayo ukukhanya kwezinkanyezi ezingaphezu kuka-150.000. etholakala phakathi kwemilaza yeCygnus neLyra. Le nqubo ivumele ukutholwa kokuguquguquka okuncane kokukhanya okubangelwa ukudlula kwamaplanethi phambi kwezinkanyezi zawo, into eyaziwa ngokuthi ezokuthutha.
Ikwazile ukukhomba ukuhluka okucashile njengezingxenye ezingu-20 ngesigidi ngasinye ekukhanyeni kwenkanyezi.. Leli zinga lokunemba belanele ukuthola amaplanethi alingana noMhlaba uma okungenani ukudlula okujwayelekile okuthathu kwenzeka ngesikhathi sokubuka inkanyezi. Izindlela ezisetshenziswayo zaziyisisekelo kumongo wokubhekwa kwe-exoplanet.
Ithimba lemishini lasebenzisa isofthiwe yokuhlaziya enamandla futhi lenza imikhankaso yokubuka eqhubekayo. Izibonakude ezisekelwe phansi kanye namasathelayithi afana ne-Hubble kanye ne-Spitzer zisize ukuqinisekisa ukutholwa okuqinisekile.
Ukutholwa okubalulekile nokuhlolwa kwama-exoplanets
Kuso sonke isikhathi sokuphila kwakhe, u-Kepler wahlonza abantu abangaphezu kuka-4.600 2.300, okungaphezu kuka-XNUMX XNUMX okuqinisekisiwe.. Phakathi kwalokhu, lezo ezinezici ezifana noMhlaba ziyagqama, ngosayizi kanye nendawo ezindaweni okuhlalwa kuzo. Lokhu okutholakele kubalulekile kumongo wamanje wokufuna ukuphila kwangaphandle komhlaba.
Impumelelo yokuqala enkulu yafika ngo-2010 ngokutholwa kwamaplanethi amasha amahlanu, amane awo 'ayi-Jupiter eshisayo' futhi eyodwa elingana ne-Neptune. Ukusuka lapho, uhlu lwezinto ezitholakele lwakhula kakhulu.
Ngo-2011, kwamenyezelwa ukutholakala kwe-Kepler-22b, iplanethi yokuqala yaqinisekisa ukuthi itholakala endaweni ehlala kuyo inkanyezi yayo.. Eminyakeni emibili kamuva, ngo-2014, u-Kepler-186f wajoyina iplanethi yokuqala elingana noMhlaba kuleyo ndawo engase ikwazi ukuphila. Lokhu kutholwa kwavula amathuba amasha okuqonda izinhlelo zamaplanethi.
Esinye isenzakalo esibalulekile kwaba ukutholakala kwe-Kepler-452b ngo-2015, iplanethi elingana noMhlaba ezungeza inkanyezi efana neLanga ibanga leminyaka engu-1.400 yokukhanya. Lezi zinhlobo zokutholwa zenze uphenyo oluningi mayelana nokuba nokwenzeka kwempilo yangaphandle komhlaba.
Phakathi nomsebenzi wakhe owandisiwe, u-Kepler washintsha ukuma kwakhe futhi waqala ukubuka izifunda zendiza yesimiso sonozungezilanga ecliptic.. Njengomphumela ongemuhle, yaqala ukuthola izinto ezincane njengama-asteroids namaTrojan atholakala phakathi kwe-Mars ne-Jupiter, okube nesandla ocwaningweni lwemizimba emincane esimisweni sonozungezilanga.
Ithimba lezesayensi lase-Hungary elivela ku-Konkoly and Gothard Observatories Wathatha leli thuba ukutadisha amajika okukhanya ale mizimba, ekhomba amaphethini aphakamisa ukujikeleza kancane kanye nezakhiwo ezinama-porous, ezikhomba umsuka wazo ezindaweni ezingaphandle zesimiso sonozungezilanga.
Lokhu kushintsha kokugxila kwavumela i-Trojan asteroids ukuthi ifundwe kusetshenziswa amasu angakaze asetshenziswe, ukuvula umugqa omusha womsebenzi wesibonakude futhi kube negalelo kwisayensi yeplanethi.
I-Kepler-107 kanye nokubaluleka kokushayisana kwe-cosmic
Ngale kokucinga impilo, Uhlelo lwe-Kepler-107 ludonse ukunaka ngenxa yento ethile emangazayo. Amaplanethi ayo amabili asondelene kakhulu, i-Kepler-107b kanye ne-Kepler-107c, atholakale enobukhulu obufanayo kodwa ahluke ngokuphawulekayo ngokuminyana.
I-Kepler-107c kuvele ukuthi iminyene ngokuphindwe kathathu kunomakhelwane wayo., okuholela embonweni wokuthi ihlangabezane nokushayisana okukhulu okuphuce iplanethi izingqimba zayo zangaphandle, kwashiya insimbi eyinsimbi njengengxenye evelele. Lo mbono uyathakazelisa futhi uqinisa ucwaningo lokushayisana kwe-cosmic kumongo wokuziphendukela kwemvelo kwamaplanethi.
Njengazo zonke izinkampani zobuchwepheshe, u-Kepler wabhekana nezithiyo ezihlukahlukene phakathi nohambo lwakhe.. Ngo-2013, amasondo ayo amabili okusabela—izindlela ezibalulekile zokugcina ukuma okunembile—ahluleka ukusebenza, okwenza kwaba nzima ukuqhubeka nomsebenzi wawo oyinhloko.
Umkhankaso we-K2 wabe usuqalwa, owawukhawulela ukubonwa ezindaweni ezincane futhi uzungeza njalo ngemva kwezinyanga ezintathu ukulungisa imiphumela yomfutho welanga. Lokhu kulungiswa kabusha kokudala kwagcina isibonakude sisebenza futhi kwakhiqiza ingcebo yedatha ebalulekile.
Ngo-Okthoba 2018, ngemva kokuphelelwa uphethiloli, I-NASA yamemezela ngokusemthethweni ukuphela komsebenzi we-Kepler. Kodwa-ke, idatha eqoqwe cishe eminyakeni eyishumi iyaqhubeka nokuba umthombo wocwaningo emphakathini wesayensi.
Umthelela kusayensi kanye nokuziphendukela kwemvelo kolwazi lwezinkanyezi
Ifa lika-Kepler lidlula izinombolo namagrafu. Yanikeza ubufakazi obuqinile bokuthi amaplanethi afana noMhlaba avamile emthaleni. Ngaphambi kokwethulwa kwayo, angaphansi kuka-350 ama-exoplanets aqinisekisiwe ayaziwa; Ekupheleni komsebenzi wabo, inani lalingaphezu kuka-3.800. Lolu shintsho ekuqondeni kwethu umkhathi lubalulekile emkhakheni wesayensi yezinkanyezi.
Akuthola kwashintsha ngokuphelele izibalo zezinkanyezi.: Kulinganiselwa ukuthi cishe u-70% wezinkanyezi ezifana neLanga zingasingatha amaplanethi okungahlalwa kuwo. Ngaphezu kwalokho, usize ekwakheni amamodeli wokusabalalisa kanye nemvamisa avumela ukuqagela ukuba khona kwezigidigidi zamaplanethi.
Iminikelo yakhe iphinde ivelele ezindaweni ezifana ne-supernovae, ukuziphatha kokukhanya kwe-stellar, ukuguquguquka kothuli lwe-interstellar, nokuhlukahluka kwamajika okukhanya. Lokhu kuguquguquka kwenza i-Kepler yaba umthombo obalulekile wedatha.
Impumelelo kaKepler kwezesayensi nezobuchwepheshe yabeka isisekelo sezizukulwane ezintsha zezibonakude zasemkhathini.. Ulwazi lwabo lwaluyisihluthulelo sokuklama amaphrojekthi akamuva afana ne-TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) kanye ne-James Webb Space Telescope.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, likhuthaze izifundo zemikhakha ehlukene ezihlola yonke into kusukela ekwakhekeni kwezinhlelo zamaplanethi kuya ekuguqukeni kwendawo yonke. Isayensi yezinkanyezi yesimanje isizuze isici esisha ngenxa yemiphumela etholwe yile probe yasemkhathini.
Indaba yesibonakude i-Kepler iyisibonelo esikhangayo sendlela ukuphikelela, ukusungula izinto ezintsha, kanye nokubona okucacile okungabushintsha kanjani ubuhlobo bethu nomkhathi.. Kusukela ekwakhiweni kwayo kuya ekudluliselweni kwayo kokugcina, uKepler akagcinanga ngokuthola amaplanethi, kodwa wandisa amathuba ethu njengempucuko.