Do other stars have planetary systems like our own? Yes
— one such system is Kepler-90.
Cataloged by the Kepler satellite that
operated from Earth orbit between 2009 and 2018, eight planets were
discovered, giving Kepler-90 the same number of known planets as our Solar System.
Similarities between Kepler-90 and our system include a G-type star comparable
to our Sun, rocky planets comparable to our Earth, and large planets comparable
in size to Jupiter and Saturn.
Differences include that all of the known Kepler-90 planets
orbit relatively close in — closer than Earth’s orbit around the Sun — making
them possibly too hot to harbor life.
However, observations over longer time periods may discover cooler planets further
out. Kepler-90 lies
about 2,500 light years away, and at magnitude 14 is visible with a
medium-sized telescope toward the constellation of the Dragon (Draco).
The exoplanet-finding mission TESS was
launched in 2018, while missions with exoplanet finding capability planned for
launch in the next decade include NASA’s JWST and WFIRST.
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