2022 was an astronomical year for the discovery of new planets as astronomers discovered over 200 outside our solar system.
Over 200 new planets were discovered in 2022
With a recent Tweet, NASA confirmed the discovery of a total of 5,235 exoplanets to date. This is a commendable feat as under 5,000 exoplanets were identified until 2021. Exoplanets have various compositions and characterises. However, only four percent of the newly discovered planets are rocky like Mars and Earth. “We started the year with fewer than 5,000 confirmed exoplanets. We end with 5,235 known worlds. About 4% are rocky planets like Earth or Mars. What will the new year bring? More planets!” tweeted NASA.
“It’s not just a number. Each one of them is a new world, a brand-new planet. I get excited about everyone because we don’t know anything about them,” stated Jessie Christiansen. Christiansen is a research scientist at NASA’s Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech. A majority of exoplanets consist of “hot Jupiters” due to their proximity to the parent stars. On the other hand, rocky planets bigger than the Earth are known as “super-Earths”. Some planets that are similar to a smaller version of Neptune are known as “mini-Neptunes”. While these are not exact descriptions, they help in classifying the discoveries and understanding their nature.
More about the discoveries
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launching in 2027 is going to help in the search. The new addition is going to make new planet and exoplanets discoveries in addition to investigating the dark matter. The telescope is going to have a field of view 100 times wider than that of the Hubble Space Telescope. Additionally, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) new Ariel mission will help in studying the formation and evolution of exoplanets. However, it is expected to take off in 2029.
