Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. Since the first confirmed discovery in 1992, astronomers have identified thousands of these distant worlds using advanced detection methods and space telescopes.
These discoveries have revolutionized our understanding of planetary systems and the potential for life elsewhere in the universe.
Detecting periodic dimming of a star's light as a planet passes in front of it.
Measuring the wobble of a star caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet.
Capturing actual images of exoplanets by blocking out the bright light of their host stars.
Using the gravitational lens effect of a star to detect planets around it.
Star System: Kepler-186
Key Feature: First Earth-sized planet in habitable zone
Star System: Proxima Centauri
Key Feature: Closest known exoplanet to Earth
Star System: WASP-12
Key Feature: Hot Jupiter being consumed by its star
Star System: HD 189733
Key Feature: Deep blue gas giant with glass rain
Star System: Kepler-452
Key Feature: Earth's "cousin" in a similar orbit
The habitable zone, often called the "Goldilocks Zone," is the region around a star where conditions might be just right for liquid water to exist on a planet's surface - not too hot, not too cold. This zone is crucial in the search for potentially habitable worlds, as liquid water is considered essential for life as we know it.
Gas giants that orbit very close to their stars, with extremely high surface temperatures.
Rocky planets larger than Earth but smaller than gas giants, potentially habitable.
Smaller versions of Neptune with thick atmospheres and no solid surface.
Rocky planets similar to Earth, Mars, Venus, and Mercury in composition.