Planet Hunter Lifts Off

The U.S. recently launched a new satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida "...on a mission to find thousands of new worlds beyond our solar system." (BBC). The satellite's goal is to survey a huge area of stars with the hopes of catching the dips in brightness that occur when planets pass in front of them. The satellite will then put together a catalog for other telescopes to "...focus in on for more detailed analysis" (BBC). The cameras on the satellite are very sensitive and they are looking for the shadows of planets as the planets pass in front of the stars they are orbiting.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43790557