The Sun Isn't Normal. This Telescope Learned the Hard Way.

The video discusses the Kepler mission, which launched to discover exoplanets. Initially, it found many planets but faced challenges in finding Earth-like planets due to assumptions about stellar noise. Kepler's mission was extended, and despite technical issues, it continued to find exoplanets. The mission paved the way for future telescopes like TESS and PLATO, which aim to find Earth's twin.

What was one of the main assumptions made by Kepler's designers that proved to be incorrect?

• That all planets have atmospheres

• That red dwarfs are the most common stars

• That our sun is a typical star

• That all stars are the same size

What percentage of stars in the galaxy are M stars, also known as red dwarfs?

• 73%

• 6%

• 25%

• 50%

Why was detecting Earth-sized planets around G stars more difficult than expected?

• G stars are too far away

• G stars are too bright

• G stars have more noise than anticipated

• Earth-sized planets are too large

What innovative method did scientists use to stabilize Kepler after mechanical failures?

• Switching to a different telescope

• Installing new mechanical parts

• Using solar radiation as a stabilizing force

• Reducing the number of observed stars

As of 2023, how many exoplanet candidates in habitable zones have been confirmed?

• 1000

• 500

• 361

• 88

What was the first exoplanet discovered by Kepler with Earth-like characteristics?

• Kepler 452B

• Kepler 10C

• Kepler 186F

• Kepler 22B

What is the main goal of the upcoming PLATO mission?

• To explore the outer solar system

• To find new galaxies

• To study the sun's surface

• To improve the search for Earth-like planets