Kepler, the robot spacecraft named for the sixteenth century astronomer who founded celestial mechanics (though today’s astronomers like to forget he made his living casting horoscopes), has confirmed the previous discovery of a Jupiter-sized giant in its first workout in the black. Still to come: finding new planets, especially habitable Earth-size ones. None are imaged directly, but inferred by the dimming of their star/sun as they pass in front of it.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 