6,000 Exoplanets and Counting: NASA’s Cosmic Milestone in Planet Discovery
What Are Exoplanets, and Why Does 6,000 Matter? Exoplanets are planets that orbit a star other than our Sun – in other words, worlds beyond our own solar system. Some even drift freely in space without a parent star (so-called “rogue planets”) science.nasa.gov. Ever since the first exoplanets were confirmed in the 1990s, they have reshaped our understanding of the universe. We now know planets are abundant: over 6,000 have been confirmed so far, and astronomers estimate billions more likely exist in our galaxy alone nasa.gov. Reaching 6,000 confirmed exoplanets is more than just a number – it’s a testament
