Question: Under which of the following mission of NASA the largest collection of exoplanets (Trove) ever were discovered ?
(a) Lunar Orbiter-1
(b) Kepler
(c) Pioneer-1
(d) Hubble Space Telescope
Ans: (b)
Related facts:
- On 10 May 2016 NASA’s Kepler mission has announced the largest collection of exoplanets ever discovered.
- NASA’s Kepler mission has verified 1,284 new planets – the single largest finding of planets to date this is more than doubles the number of confirmed planets from Kepler.
- The mission was launched in March 2009; Kepler is the first NASA mission to find potentially habitable Earth-size planets.
- This discovery has given hope that they may eventually discover another Earth-like planet that could harbour life.
- Of the 1,284 discovered, nearly 550 could be rocky planets like Earth, based on their size.
Reference:
http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasas-kepler-mission-announces-largest-collection-of-planets-ever-discovered
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/over-1200-new-planets-discovered/article8587045.ecehttp://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/over-1200-new-planets-discovered/article8587045.ece
http://spaceref.com/extrasolar-planets/kepler-announces-largest-collection-of-planets-ever-discovered.html