More than half of Kepler's discoveries will be in the magnitude which is the faintest in which the precision of the photometry will be able to reveal a transit. However, in this magnitude range, the number of stars per magnitude doubles at each fainter magnitude. For the brightest stars in Kepler's intended magnitude range, which is 9 to 14 mv, this will not be serious, because the profiles are different: eclipses have a ``V" shape, transits are flat-bottomed, and Kepler will differentiate the two. The greatest concern is that there may be a distant eclipsing binary star which could introduce a photometric signature that is similar to a planetary transit. However, it will also allow the possibility of confusion with background objects which may be in the line of sight to a Kepler target. This will minimize the effect of space-craft jitter on photon counting. In order to achieve the necessary precision, Kepler will be intentionally unfocussed, spreading the light of a single star over an area of 25 pixels. It is expected that if such ``Earths" are common, about 200 will be detected. The required photometric precision is one part in 100.000. Kepler will detect Earth-like planets by monitoring 100,000 stars over four years for planetary transits. Hubble Space Telescope Parallel Observations Supporting the Kepler Mission In this review, which is far from an exhaustive summary of all results obtained with Kepler, we collected some of the most interesting discoveries, and ponder on the role for amateur observers in this golden era of stellar astrophysics. But many discoveries have been made about classical variable stars, too, ranging from pulsators like Cepheids and RR Lyraes to eclipsing binary stars and cataclysmic variables, and even supernovae. ![]() Asteroseismology, the study of stellar oscillations, allowed us to investigate solar-like stars, and to peer into the insides of red giants and massive stars. The exquisite photometric precision, together with the long, uninterrupted observations opened up a new way to investigate the structure and evolution of stars. The Kepler space telescope has revolutionized our knowledge about exoplanets and stars and is continuing to do so in the K2 mission. Variable Stars with the Kepler Space Telescope
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