Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Mohsin Shaikh
In a remarkable astronomical discovery, the retired Kepler space telescope from NASA has unveiled a new solar system known as Kepler-385, comprising seven planets, each receiving a greater amount of radiant heat from their host star than any planet within our solar system
The Kepler-385 solar system, named after the telescope that discovered it, stands out for its unique composition, as all seven planets are larger than Earth yet smaller than Neptune. This unique configuration sets it apart from other known planetary systems discovered by humanity
Kepler-385 joins the exclusive club of planetary systems with more than six confirmed planets or planet candidates, marking it as a rare and intriguing find. This discovery is one of the highlights in the latest Kepler catalog, which encompasses nearly 4,400 planet candidates, including over 700 multi-planet systems
Jack Lissauer, a research scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley and the lead author of the research paper unveiling the new catalog, emphasised that this comprehensive catalogue offers a detailed understanding of Kepler's planet candidates and their properties. It equips astronomers with valuable data to investigate the characteristics of exoplanets. The latest findings were published in The Journal of Planetary Science
The central star of the Kepler-385 system closely resembles our Sun but is about 10% larger and 5% hotter. Among its seven planets, the two innermost ones, only slightly larger than Earth, are anticipated to be rocky with thin atmospheres. In contrast, the remaining five planets are substantially larger, each having a radius approximately twice that of Earth, and they are expected to be enveloped in thick atmospheres
The impressive precision with which the Kepler-385 system's properties are described is a testament to the high quality of this updated exoplanet catalog. Distinguishing itself from previous catalogs that mainly focused on planet prevalence, this comprehensive compilation provides precise data on each planetary system
The catalog leverages improved measurements of stellar properties and offers more accurate calculations of the orbital paths of planets as they transit across their host stars. This information reveals an interesting trend: planetary systems with multiple transiting planets tend to exhibit more circular orbits, a phenomenon distinct from systems with only one or two planets
The Kepler space telescope concluded its primary observations in 2013 but continued its mission with K2, an extended phase that spanned until 2018. The data collected by Kepler has continued to uncover astonishing revelations about our Milky Way galaxy. This study contributes to our understanding of the vast and diverse exoplanets beyond our solar system