NASA's Kepler space telescope, though no longer active, continues to astound the astronomical community.
Its data has led to the discovery of a system named Kepler-385, which boasts seven Earth-size planets, each one basking in a significant amount of radiant heat from their host star. This system stands out as one of the few known to have more than six planets.
The central star of the Kepler-385 system shares similarities with our Sun, albeit being slightly larger and hotter. The two innermost planets are likely rocky with minimal atmospheres, while the five outer planets, each approximately twice the size of Earth, possess thick gaseous envelopes.
This revelation comes from the latest exoplanet catalog, which provides a more accurate account of planetary systems discovered by Kepler. The catalog's refined measurements of stellar characteristics allow for a better understanding of the planets' orbits. Notably, it suggests that stars with multiple transiting planets tend to have more circular orbits compared to those with fewer planets.
Jack Lissauer, a scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, emphasizes the significance of this updated catalog. It not only refines the list of Kepler's planet candidates but also enhances our knowledge of their properties. The Kepler mission has been instrumental in the discovery of the majority of known exoplanets, and even after its retirement, the mission's legacy continues to expand our understanding of the universe.
The new analysis of Kepler's data enriches our comprehension of these distant worlds and their systems, reinforcing the mission's profound implication: there are more planets in the cosmos than stars. As we continue to analyze the wealth of information provided by Kepler, we edge closer to unraveling the mysteries of our galactic neighborhood.