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Scientists first discovered exoplanets in the 1990s. (Source: NASA)
NASA used a variety of methods to detect these exoplanets, including the transit method, the radial velocity method, and the gravitational microlensing method. The transit method involves looking for a dip in the brightness of a star when an exoplanet passes in front of it. The radial velocity method involves measuring the slight wobble in a star caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting exoplanet. The gravitational microlensing method involves looking for a temporary brightening of a star caused by the gravitational lensing of a distant star by an intervening exoplanet.
Jessie Christiansen, the head of NASA’s Exoplanet Archive, said that the discovery of more than 5,000 exoplanets is a major milestone in the search for life beyond Earth. “Each of these exoplanets is a new world, and each one holds the potential to reveal new insights into the formation and evolution of planets,” she said.
NASA’s next generation of telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, will be able to study the atmospheres of exoplanets in more detail. This will help astronomers to determine whether any of these exoplanets could potentially support life.
The discovery of more than 5,000 exoplanets is a testament to the progress that astronomers have made in recent years. It is also a reminder that we are not alone in the universe, and that there are likely billions of other planets out there that could potentially support life.