Oscillations occur in stars of most masses and essentially all stages of evolution .
Asteroseismology is the study of the frequencies and other properties of stellar oscillations , from which we can extract fundamental parameters such as density , mass , radius , age and rotation period .
We present an overview of asteroseismic analysis methods , focusing on how this technique may be used as a tool to measure stellar properties relevant to planet transit studies .
We also discuss details of the Kepler Asteroseismic Investigation – the use of asteroseismology on the Kepler mission in order to measure basic stellar parameters .
We estimate that applying asteroseismology to stars observed by Kepler will allow the determination of stellar mean densities to an accuracy of 1 % , radii to 2–3 % , masses to 5 % , and ages to 5–10 % of the main-sequence lifetime .
For rotating stars , the angle of inclination can also be determined .