Astronomers have discovered over 100 new alien worlds so far this year — some many light-years away from Earth — that showcase the vast diversity and drama of planetary systems across space.
The number of confirmed exoplanets — planets that don’t orbit the sun — has tipped 5,900, according to NASA, with thousands of additional candidates under review. All these worlds exist in our galaxy, though scientists believe they detected one planet outside the Milky Way in 2021.
This bounty is but a tiny sampling of the planets thought to exist throughout the universe. With hundreds of billions of galaxies, the cosmos probably sparkles with many trillions of stars. And if most stars have one or more orbiting planets — well, it’s hard to comprehend with our feeble human brains. After all, our own solar system has eight full-fledged planets (apologies, Pluto) — and possibly even more awaiting discovery.
No two exoplanets are alike, each harboring its own distinct chemistry and conditions. Getting to know these worlds is easier now with the powerful James Webb Space Telescope. The observatory, a collaboration of NASA and its European and Canadian counterparts, spends about a quarter of its time on exoplanets. By studying their atmospheres, scientists can learn a great deal, including whether a world could be habitable.
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