Did You Know: Planets Around Other Stars
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Did you know that there are many planets outside our solar system?
Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach in collaboration with NASA’s Universe of Learning partners: Caltech/IPAC, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and Sonoma State University.
- Illustration of the Solar System: International Astronomical Union/Martin Kornmesser
- Animation of a planetary system: ESO/L.Calçada/M.Kornmesser
- Animation of Alpha Centauri system: ESO
- Animation of Proxima b and Proxima Centauri: ESO
Written by Leah Ramsay
Designed by Craig Anderson, Leah Hustak, and Dani Player
Editorial and design input from Claire Blome, Margaret W. Carruthers, Dr. Brandon Lawton, and Timothy Rhue II
Music courtesy of Music for Non-Profits
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Text, Did you know? Planets around other stars.
Text, Did you know? Planets around other stars.
There are many planets outside our solar system. Numerous planets to the right of the sun.
Text, Once upon a time, the only planets we knew of were in our own solar system.
In the mid 1990s, the study of planetary systems changed forever when planets were discovered orbiting other stars.
They are called exoplanets.
After many more exoplanet detections, astronomers now estimate that there is an average of one planet for every star.
Numerous exoplanets glow as they travel away from us. Text, A planet has even been found orbiting the star closest to our solar system, Proxima Centauri, only 4 light-years away.
The search for exoplanets near and far continues.