Planets cover our galaxy - we are not alone

Scientists from NASA's Kepler project have discovered a sun called KOI-961 with a solar system that contains three rocky planets that are smaller than Earth. The planets are too hot and close to the star to be habitable for humans but finding three exoplanets so small gives hope for the existance of a planet similar to Earth where life could exist. A year on these planets, one orbit around their sun, lasts about 2 days.

Currently Kepler scientists are monitoring 150,000 stars for changes in their light which indicates a planet is passing in front of it.

Source: NASA

Astronomers have found at least 10 planets to be homeless - floating freely without a parent star. It's theorized that these Jupiter-sized planets were booted from emerging star systems.

Source: NASA

NASA announced the incredible results for its Kepler program in 2011. It started out with the discovery of the first rocky planet, then moved on to other discoveries such as a six-planet solar system and a planet orbiting one star of a binary star system. Kepler claims over 1,000 planet discoveries and 170 multiple planet solar systems.

Source: NASA

NASA's Kepler mission announced that it has discovered the first two Earth-sized planets that are orbiting a star similar to our sun.

Source: NASA

NASA's Kepler project last month discovered the first planet from another star that could possibly hold liquid water on its surface. So far, the Kepler Program has found more than 1,000 planets.

Source: NASA

Using European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory, astronomers have discovered a disc of water vapor orbiting around a planet outside our solar system. The scientists say that there's more than enough cold water vapor to fill the oceans on Earth and suggested this could be how they formed. They also theorize that comets that are formed within the disc could be responsible for transporting water to other parts of the solar system.

Scientists using the 10-meter Keck telescopes in Kamuela, HI have captured evidence of a planet forming around a star. Scientists say that LkCa 15 b is the youngest planet ever found.

Credit: NASA (artist's concept)

An international team of scientists using the CoRoT (Convection, Rotation and Transits) space telescope, operated by the French space agency CNES, last year discovered 10 new planets including one that's just 10s of million years young (for planets), a Saturn-like planet, and two others that resemble Neptune.

Students from MIT participated in a three-semester program where they built a small satellite called "CubeSat" which is designed to explore and study exoplanets. Because CubeSats are so small, said to be about as long as a skateboard, they can easily fit hitch a ride rockets carrying larger payloads. The first CubeSat should be ready for launch in 2012.

Source: JPL