News Space

Spacecraft sees signs of 1,200-plus worlds

Kepler mission releases details on newly discovered candidate extrasolar planets

By Ron Cowen

- More than 2 years ago

Astronomers have identified 1,235 candidate planets beyond the solar system, including 54 where life might have a chance of gaining a foothold.

SIX PACK NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has discovered more than 1,200 planets beyond the solar system. This artist’s illustration shows a newly discovered planetary system — the sunlike star Kepler-11 and its six planets, the most densely packed planetary system known.