International Team Of Astronomers To Discuss Kepler Findings

J.D. Harrington     

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Michael Mewhinney

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

 

Anders Correll

Aarhus University Press Office, Denmark

WASHINGTON -- The Kepler Asteroseismic Science Consortium (KASC) at Aarhus University in Denmark will hold a media teleconference on Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 11 a.m. EDT to discuss the latest discoveries about stars and their structures using data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft.

Kepler, an observatory launched in March 2009, is designed to search for Earth-like planets orbiting other stars. NASA and the KASC developed a joint collaboration to further our understanding of the structure and evolution of stars.

NASA's science team uses Kepler data to search for exoplanets, planets outside of the solar system. KASC uses it to investigate the astrophysics of stars. By using the natural pulse of stellar light waves, the research team has examined and characterized thousands of stars, thereby gaining new insights into stellar structure and evolution.

To participate in the teleconference, reporters should e-mail Thomas Sorensen at ths@adm.au.dk by 8 a.m. EDT on Oct. 26. Journalists must include their name, media affiliation and telephone number. At the beginning of the telecon, supporting information will be posted at http://astro.phys.au.dk/KASC/.

The panelists are:

-- Natalie Batalha, professor of physics and astronomy, San Jose State University, California and co-investigator on NASA's Kepler Mission

-- Hans Kjeldsen, associate professor, KASC, Aarhus University, Denmark

-- Travis S. Metcalfe, scientist at The National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

-- Daniel Huber, Ph.D. student, University of Sydney, Australia

-- Thomas Kallinger, postdoctoral student, Universities of British Columbia, Canada

-- Katrien Kolenberg, postdoctoral student, Institute of Astronomy in Vienna, Austria

-- Steven Bloemen, Ph.D. student, Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live at http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio.

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