Nine Incredible Facts About Exoplanets

By: By Laura Dattaro

Published: October 30,2013

 

 

 

 

 

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Some planets orbit two stars in what’s called a binary star system, like the mythical Tatooine from Star Wars. Some evidence shows that these systems may be more likely to host Earth-like worlds hospitable to life. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

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In March 2009, NASA launched the Kepler Space Telescope with the aim of searching the skies for planets orbiting stars other than our sun, known as exoplanets, in the hope that perhaps we could identify Earth-like planets that may harbor life. In August, NASA had to end Kepler’s mission when two wheels malfunctioned. But before they did, the telescope collected massive amounts of data and discovered thousands of potential exoplanets.
Click through the slideshow above to learn more about these extra-solar planets.