Extrasolar planets

Enjoy some of my fictional comparation of extrasolar planets with our planet "Earth" and "Mars"

Forty-four planets in solar systems beyond our own have been discovered in one go, dwarfing the usual number of confirmations from extrasolar surveys, which is typically a dozen or less. The findings will improve existing models of solar systems, and may help researchers investigate exoplanet atmospheres. Novel techniques developed to validate the find could accelerate the confirmation of more extrasolar planet candidates.

Exoplanets, also called as "extrasolar planets" are the planets that exist outside our solar system that orbit stars other than our sun.

Imagine if it rained rocks or pebbles on Earth. That's how it can be on CoRot 7b, an extrasolar planet.

Researchers have found Jupiter-scale gas giants orbiting binary stars and estimate that Earth-like planets orbiting binary stars could be as numerous as rocky planets orbiting single-star systems.

We are not alone. Possibly. Astronomers have discovered seven Earth-sized planets orbiting a star just 40 light-years away. At least three of them could harbour oceans of water, increasing the poss…