NASA researchers discovered a new planetary system by analyzing data obtained during the operation of the Kepler space observatory from 2009 to 2018. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Astrophysics.
Astronomers named the new system Kepler-385. According to observational data, there is a star similar to the Sun at its center, which is approximately 10% larger and 5% hotter than our star. It is surrounded by seven outer planets.
Analysis showed that the two planets closest to the star are slightly larger than Earth and may have thin atmospheres. The other five are each about twice the size of Earth and have thick atmospheres. Since each of the celestial bodies in the Kepler-385 system receives more heat per unit area than any of the planets in our solar system, the existence of life on them is unlikely.
Kepler’s initial observations ended in 2013, followed by an extended mission of the telescope called K2, which continued until 2018. The data collected by Kepler continues to reveal new mysteries about our galaxy.
Earlier astronomers discovered There are more than half a million undiscovered stars in the Milky Way galaxy.