Explanation:
Streaking
skyward,
a Delta II rocket carries NASA's Kepler spacecraft aloft
into the clear night of March 6.
The dramatic scene was recorded in a time exposure from the crowded pier
in Jetty Park at the northern end of Cocoa Beach, Florida, about 3 miles
from the Cape Canaveral launch site.
Kepler's
mission is to search for Earth-like planets
orbiting in the
habitable zone
of other stars.
A planet orbiting within a star's habitable
zone would have a surface temperature
capable of supporting liquid water, an essential ingredient for life as
we know it.
To find Earth-like planets, Kepler's telescope and large, sensitive
camera will examine
a rich star field near the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy.
Located in the constellation Cygnus, Kepler's
field of view
will allow it to monitor
the brightness of many stars in the solar neighborhood and detect a
slight dimming as a potential
Earth-like
planet crosses in front of the star.
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