NASA will announce a mysterious discovery beyond Earth’s solar system Wednesday afternoon.
The historically unmatched U.S. space agency said in a press statement that it will “present new findings on planets that orbit stars other than our sun, known as exoplanets.” NASA did not reveal any details, only that the new research will be published in the science journal Nature.
NASA announced in May that its Kepler Space Telescope found 1,284 new exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. Roughly 550 of those exoplanets could be rocky planets, like Earth, based on their size. Nine of these exoplanets orbit in their stars’ “Goldilocks Zones,” making them potentially habitable.
Some exoplanets closely resemble Earth and are some of the best places to look for alien life.
NASA scientists may have found another world similar to the “second Earth” discovered by European astronomers in August.
European astronomers found a slight “wobble” of gravity tugging on the star Proxima Centauri. Scientists don’t currently know if the planet, called “Proxima b,” has an atmosphere or possesses a magnetosphere, but there’s already a lot speculation about the possibility of life there.
Scientists consider Proxima b a good candidate for supporting life. Initial reports suggest Proxima b has a rocky surface, is close in size to Earth and circles its star closely enough to be relatively warm. Proxima b is likely in Proxima Centauri’s “Goldilocks Zone.”
Research suggests life on Proxima b, it would be subject to frequent planet-wide extinction events since it’s close in proximity to Proxima Centauri.
If life did develop on Proxima b, it may exist in a relatively primitive microbial form, NASA scientists previously told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Send tips to andrew@
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.