While preparing a presentation on exoplanet discovery missions, a student took the following notes:
* The Kepler Space Telescope was launched in 2009 to search for exoplanets orbiting other stars.
* Kepler's observation strategy involved continuously monitoring a single, fixed field of view in the Cygnus and Lyra constellations.
* The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) was launched in 2018 to search for exoplanets.
* TESS's observation strategy involves surveying nearly the entire sky by dividing it into 26 different sectors, with each sector observed for 27 days.
* Kepler focused on distant stars to determine how common Earth-like planets are in the galaxy.
* TESS focuses on nearby, bright stars to identify targets for detailed atmospheric characterization.
The student wants to contrast the observation strategies of the Kepler Space Telescope and TESS. Which choice most effectively uses information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
- While the Kepler Space Telescope continuously monitored a single, fixed region of the sky, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) surveys nearly the entire sky by dividing it into multiple sectors.Answer
- BBoth the Kepler Space Telescope and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) were launched by NASA to search for exoplanets orbiting other stars.
- CKepler focused its search on distant stars to determine planetary frequency, whereas TESS targets nearby, bright stars to identify candidates for atmospheric study.
- DTESS surveys nearly the entire sky by dividing it into 26 sectors and observing each sector for 27 days to identify nearby exoplanets.