NASA Confirms Over 6,000 Exoplanets, Including Newly Discovered neptune-Like World
teh quest to find worlds beyond our solar system has reached a new milestone: NASA has now confirmed over 6,000 exoplanets, dramatically expanding our understanding of planetary systems throughout the galaxy. This growing catalog includes recently confirmed GJ 536 C, a Neptune-like planet orbiting a star just 34 light-years from Earth.The confirmation signifies a pivotal moment in exoplanet research,moving beyond simply finding planets to characterizing them and assessing their potential for habitability.
This surge in confirmed exoplanets-fueled by missions like NASA’s Kepler and TESS space telescopes-is reshaping our view of the universe. For decades,astronomers theorized that planetary systems were common,but lacked the observational evidence. Now, with over 6,000 confirmed worlds, it’s clear that planets are ubiquitous. GJ 536 C, with a mass nearly six times that of Earth, orbits its star at a close distance of 0.16 astronomical units (AU) and completes an orbit in less then 33 days. While not habitable itself, each new discovery contributes to a broader understanding of planetary formation and the potential for finding earth-like worlds capable of supporting life.
