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Credit & Copyright: NASA Ames, Wendy Stenzel
Explanation:
Do other stars have
planetary systems like our
own?
Yes -- one such system is
Kepler-90.
Cataloged by the
Kepler satellite that operated from Earth orbit between 2009 and 2018,
eight planets were discovered, giving Kepler-90
the same number of known planets as our
Solar System.
Similarities between Kepler-90 and our system include a
G-type star comparable to our Sun, rocky planets comparable to our Earth,
and large planets comparable in size to
Jupiter and
Saturn.
Differences include that all of the known
Kepler-90
planets orbit relatively close in -- closer than
Earth's orbit around the Sun -- making them possibly too hot to
harbor life.
However, observations over longer time periods may discover
cooler planets further out.
Kepler-90 lies about 2,500
light years away, and at magnitude 14 is visible with a medium-sized telescope toward
the constellation of the Dragon
(Draco).
The
exoplanet-finding mission
TESS was launched in 2018, while
missions with exoplanet finding capability planned for launch in the next decade
include
NASA's
JWST and
WFIRST.
Experts Debate:
How will humanity first
discover extraterrestrial life?
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: extrasolar planet
Publications with words: extrasolar planet
See also:
- APOD: 2024 July 8 Á Exoplanet Zoo: Other Stars
- Temperatures on Exoplanet WASP 43b
- Epsilon Tauri: Star with Planet
- APOD: 2023 October 17 Á PDS 70: Disk, Planets, and Moons
- APOD: 2023 September 20 Á Methane Discovered on Distant Exoplanet
- APOD: 2023 June 6 Á Star Eats Planet
- APOD: 2023 February 1 Á The Seventh World of Trappist 1