The US Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the total number of “confirmed” planets that it has discovered outside our solar system so far, according to a Sky News Arabia report.
And “NASA” said that it added 65 planets outside the solar system to the total confirmed planets discovered in the universe, bringing the number to 5005 planets.
She explained that “confirmed planets are only a small part of the billions of planets that are likely to be present in the Milky Way, and this number increases when talking about other galaxies.”“.
The nature of these planets varies between rocky like Earth, and the gas giant that is several times larger than Jupiter, and those orbiting two stars at the same time, and the planets that orbit around the remains of dead stars.
Commenting on the scientific discovery, Jesse Christiansen, chief scientist for the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech, said: “It’s not just a number. Each of these planets represents a new world, a whole new planet. I’m excited for each one of them because we We don’t know anything about it.”
“We are ushering in an era of discovery that will go beyond simply adding new planets to the list,” said Alexander Walchzan, University of Pennsylvania planetary professor and NASA project participant. TESSLaunched in 2018, discovers more new exoplanets“.
“Powerful next-generation telescopes and their highly sensitive instruments, starting with the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope, are expected to capture light from the atmospheres of exoplanets and read their gases to identify signs of conditions favorable to the formation of life,” Walchzan added.“.
He explained: “It is possible that we will find some kind of life somewhere. Most likely of a primitive type. The close relationship between the chemistry of life on Earth and the chemistry found throughout the universe, as well as the discovery of organic molecules, suggests that the discovery of life itself is only a matter of time.” .
On: 03-24-2022