North set for mass analysis of planets

摘要

How many extrasolar planets has NASA's Kepler mission discovered? That depends on how you count. Last month, the mission team published a catalogue that lists a staggering 2,321 candidate planets, amassed since May 2009 as the space-based telescope watches stars for the shadow of planets passing over their faces. Yet only 69 of them are considered confirmed planets. Astronomers have fretted over the growing backlog, but help is on its way.