![]() Such planets could be potentially habitable and play a key part in the ongoing search for life elsewhere in the universe. Of particular interest are exoplanets that exist within the habitable zone of their stars-an area not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to exist on their surface. Many are found using the transit method, in which scientists look at a distant star and measure how much it dims when an exoplanet passes in front of it. Scientists detect exoplanets using a variety of methods. ![]() Even the Voyager probes, which are flying out of our solar system at tens of thousands of miles per hour, would take around 75,000 years to get there, according to NASA. If someone were to get into their car and drive toward the planet at 60 miles per hour, it would take them 47 million years to get there. Even the closest known exoplanet, Proxima Centauri b, is four light years away. Scientists have to rely on telescope observations because exoplanets are way too far away for us to visit with existing technology. The first ones were discovered in the 1990s, and since then the number has shot up dramatically. Using various detection methods, researchers can determine how large these planets are, what their mass is, and even what they are made of.Įxoplanet discovery is a relatively recent branch of astronomy. It takes less than two days to orbit its star.Īn exoplanet is defined as any planet that exists beyond our own solar system. It takes just 4.9 days to complete one orbit of its star.Īnother is TOI-178 b, an exoplanet that falls under the "super Earth" category, with a mass of around 1.5 times that of our own planet. Fact Check: Did NASA Test the Impact of Drugs on Spiders Making Webs?Īmong the most recent additions to the database are TOI-251 b, a planet with the mass of Jupiter that is located 325 light-years away.James Webb Telescope vs Hubble As NASA's Observatory Steps Closer to Launch.Why Pluto Was Demoted From Being a Planet.
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