NASA has discovered 219 new planets (and 10 are really like Earth)
NASA astronomers have found 219 new planets just beyond our solar system, and ten of them could very well support life.
The researchers found the planet candidates in the final batch of NASA's Kepler Space Telescope observations of 200,000 sample stars in the constellation called Cygnus.
#ICYMI: Our @NASAKepler space telescope has identified 219 potential new worlds. Video of news briefing: https://t.co/DgOeQxc0ZJ #KeplerWeek pic.twitter.com/nkzsrdwCga
— NASA Kepler and K2 (@NASAKepler) June 19, 2017
The ten newly discovered Earth-like planets are sufficiently distanced from their stars (like our sun) for water to be able to exist on them, which scientists believe is the key to forming life.
Kepler scientist, Mario Perez said, "An important question for us is, 'Are we alone?' Maybe Kepler today is telling us indirectly that we are not alone."
We just identified more than 200 potential new worlds! Here's things to know: https://t.co/AnlFNOOF0A #KeplerWeek pic.twitter.com/cRv6oIZtHq
— NASA Kepler and K2 (@NASAKepler) June 19, 2017
The Kepler telescope was launched in 2009 in the hopes to find more Earth-like planets, and it looks like it may have succeeded.
Telescope surveys like this one have, to date, found the existence of nearly 3,500 planets.
