NASA Confirmed Discovery of the 6,000th Exoplanet
In the vast universe, trillions of unknown exoplanets are scattered across. There are gas giants, Neptune-like planets, super-Earths, rocky planets, and many mysterious kinds of planets, all orbiting stars, just like our Solar System. For this reason, NASA has been trying to find them for approximately thirty years.
On Friday, September 19, 2025, NASA verified the discovery of the 6,000th exoplanet, which started their next step of exploring the universe: finding unimaginable planets. NASA wants to find exoplanets, specifically one that can hold life like Earth.
Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars outside of our Solar System. They are very far from Earth, some of them being hundreds of light-years away. As of today, scientists have found gas giants, Neptune-like planets, super-Earths, rocky planets, and a few unknown types.
After finding the 6000th exoplanet, NASA said, “We’re entering the next great chapter of exploration — worlds beyond our imagination. To look for planets that could support life and to remind us the universe still holds worlds waiting to be found.”
Ways to Spot Planets Far Away
Stars are brighter and larger than planets, making it difficult to see the planets nearby. As a result, fewer than 100 of them were directly photographed.
To navigate this obstacle, scientists use the transit method, which is when they find a star that dims slightly as a planet moves in front of it. It can be seen in light curves, which are graphs that show how light is received over time. When the planet moves in front of the star, there will be a decrease in the light curve.
Another way scientists discover exoplanets is by using gravitational microlensing, which happens when the light of a star is bent by a planet’s gravity.
The James Webb Space Telescope can examine the chemistry in exoplanet atmospheres, letting scientists know what the environment is like, such as its temperature and whether life can survive on it.
It takes years to make sure a planet is real. So, even though NASA has confirmed 6,000 exoplanets, there are more than 8,000 left to check.
Scientists are hoping to find more exoplanets, especially a planet similar to Earth, with the help of advanced telescopes, like Kepler, TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is coming soon.
The Known Exoplanets
There are findings of planets the size of Jupiter, planets that orbit closer to their star than Mercury orbits the Sun, and planets that orbit two stars, no stars, and dead stars (stars that are either white dwarves, neutron stars, or black holes). There are also lava-covered planets, planets with the density of Styrofoam, and planets with gemstone-made clouds.
According to the head of NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program, Dawn Gelino, “Each of the different types of planets we discover gives us information about the conditions under which planets can form and, ultimately, how common planets like Earth might be, and where we should be looking for them. If we want to find out if we’re alone in the universe, all of this knowledge is essential.”
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