NASA confirms existence of 5,000+ planets beyond our solar system

According to NASA, the 5,000+ exoplanets found so far include small, rocky worlds like Earth, gas giants many times larger than Jupiter, and “hot Jupiters” in scorchingly close orbits around their stars. Among these planets are a mysterious variety known as “super-Earths” which are larger than our world and possibly rocky and "mini-Neptunes", which are smaller versions of our solar system’s Neptune.

With a new raft of discoveries, NASA has confirmed the existence of more than 5,000 exoplanets or planets beyond our solar system. The milestone represents a 30-year journey of discovery led by the agency's space telescopes.

"The planetary odometer turned on March 21, with the latest batch of 65 exoplanets – planets outside our immediate solar family - added to the NASA Exoplanet Archive. The archive records exoplanet discoveries that appear in peer-reviewed, scientific papers, and that have been confirmed using multiple detection methods or by analytical techniques," NASA-JPL wrote in a blog post.

According to NASA, the 5,000+ exoplanets found so far include small, rocky worlds like Earth, gas giants many times larger than Jupiter, and "hot Jupiters" in scorchingly close orbits around their stars. Among these planets are a mysterious variety known as "super-Earths" which are larger than our world and possibly rocky and "mini-Neptunes", which are smaller versions of our solar system's Neptune.

"It's not just a number. Each one of them is a new world, a brand-new planet. I get excited about every one because we don't know anything about them," says Jessie Christiansen, science lead for the archive and a research scientist with the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech in Pasadena.

NASA's powerful next-generation telescopes like the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope which is expected to launch in 2027 will make new exoplanet discoveries and also identify tell-tale signs of habitable conditions. In addition, the European Space Agency's mission ARIEL, which is set to launch in 2029, will observe exoplanet atmospheres.

COSMIC MILESTONE ALERT! Our list of confirmed planets beyond our solar system just ticked past 5K, representing a 30-year journey of discovery led by @NASA space telescopes. Findings include small, rocky worlds like Earth & gas giants larger than Jupiter. https://t.co/Oh0LSVIStP pic.twitter.com/3SzhPn4m49

— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) March 21, 2022