Hunt for Exomoons with Kepler

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Hunt for Exomoons with Kepler
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Websitewww.cfa.harvard.edu/HEK/[dead link]

The Hunt for Exomoons with Kepler (HEK) is a project whose aim is to search for

Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, HEK submitted its first paper on June 30, 2011.[1] HEK has since submitted five more papers, finding some evidence for an exomoon around a planet orbiting Kepler-1625b in July 2017.[2]

Scientific work

HEK searches for exomoons in two ways,

transits its host star may be made slightly shorter or longer under the gravitational influence of a moon, revealing its existence.[3]

In its first paper, the Hunt for Exomoons with Kepler selected several

habitable-zone planet analyzed by the HEK team as of July 2013. As with previous searches, though, no moons were conclusively discovered, constraining the maximum mass of a Kepler-22b moon below 0.54 Earth masses with 95% confidence.[6]

Despite the lack of positive results in one-and-a-half years of operation, several commentators, including

habitable, remaining to be found in the Milky Way
. Citing the fact that the first exoplanets were not found in the first discovery efforts, and the fact that the Milky Way is extremely large and diverse, both commentators contend that exomoons will be found eventually.

In July 2017, the project reported weak evidence for a set of Io-like moons, and evidence for a moon around the planet orbiting Kepler-1625.[2]

References

  1. ^ Hunt for Exomoons with Kepler (15 June 2013). "News Archive". Hunt for Exomoons with Kepler. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  2. ^
    S2CID 118911978
    .
  3. ^ a b Hall, Shannon (2 July 2013). "The Hunt for Exomoons Begins!". Universe Today. Universe Today. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  4. S2CID 118729976
    .
  5. S2CID 119238710
    .
  6. S2CID 119256408
    .
  7. ^ Hammonds, Markus (13 June 2013). "The Hunt is on for Habitable Exomoons". Discovery News. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
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