Eric Ford, a member of the Kepler science team, studies how planets form and evolve, both in our solar system and in others. Many of the systems found by Kepler are very different from ours, raising new questions about how planetary systems develop and why they occur in such diverse forms. The Kepler instrument was named for German astronomer Johannes Kepler, who in the early 1600s formulated three laws of planetary motion.
Distant Worlds-Ford with Kepler
Astrophysicist Eric Ford is director of Penn State's Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Distant Worlds-Kepler infographic
The Kepler Space Telescope was retired in October 2018, after completing two missions over a deployment of 9.6 years. Scientists are still analyzing data collected by Kepler.
