Kepler telescope discover 11 new planetary systems!

The discoveries boost the list of confirmed extra-solar planets to 729, including 60 credited to the Kepler team. The telescope, launched in space in March 2009, can detect slight but regular dips in the amount of light coming from stars. Scientists can then determine if the changes are caused by orbiting planets passing by, relative to Kepler's view. Kepler scientists have another 2,300 candidate planets awaiting additional confirmation.

None of the newly discovered planetary systems are like our solar system, though Kepler-33, a star that is older and bigger than the Sun, comes close in terms of sheer numbers. It has five planets, compared to our solar system's eight, but the quintet all fly closer to their parent star than Mercury orbits the Sun. The planets range in size from about 1.5 times the diameter of Earth to five times Earth's diameter.

Scientists have not yet determined if any are solid rocky bodies like Earth, Venus, Mars and Mercury or if they are made of gas like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The Kepler team previously found one star with six confirmed planets and a second system with five planets, said planetary scientist Jack Lissauer, with NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California

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I love discoveries like this. It just goes to show how huge our universe is. Sometimes i wonder if there is even a limit to it, a place where you can draw the line and say "well this is it, the edge of the universe"

As optics get better, i am sure we can expect many more new discoveries, and one day, who knows, we can even travel there.


vvv

I have often wondered if there is a limit to space/the universe.

And before the Multiverse theory, I believed that, if there was a end/barrier to space, there would have to be something else behind it.

I know its beyond our comprehension, but how could there be an end to it, and nothing exist past that point?

I think it goes on forever, and I think us and the universe are a lot smaller (in the grand scheme of things) than we realise.

Men in black style Or similar.

Maybe we are microscopic, and part of something much bigger,

I have seen it speculated that we (Humans) could be some sort of virus, on a much bigger life form.

On topic - Now we just have to concentrate on traveling to some of these planet's, without needing generations of people to do it.

Originally posted by Soapusmaximus
I have often wondered if there is a limit to space/the universe.

And before the Multiverse theory, I believed that, if there was a end/barrier to space, there would have to be something else behind it.

Cool find. There is no center of the universe because there are no edges.

There must be a way to get there wether it be light speed or worm hole etc.
If not, then it would'nt be there.

Originally posted by LeLeu
There must be a way to get there wether it be light speed or worm hole etc.
If not, then it would'nt be there.

Are you suggesting, the planets could not be there, because we can't get there?


Could you elaborate a bit please??

vvv

If there are these great expances of space with other galaxies and
solar systems then they should be all connected in someway.
Once we find out how they are connected then we can exploit that
and achive interstellar travel one day.

Its only a matter of time before we find the right star system harboring life.

Its only a matter of time before we find the right star system harboring life.