The Kepler Space Telescope mission for NASA have discovered 11 new solar systems with planets. Specifically, the confirmed planets added 26 in total. These findings almost multiply by two the number of planets discovered have been verified by the Kepler space telescope, and tripling the number of stars than are known to possess more than one planet in its orbit passes in front of its star, from visual perspective of the Earth.

The new planets orbiting nearby stars and have their sizes ranging from just over fifty percent of Earth’s diameter to larger diameter than that of Jupiter. Fifteen of the planets are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. We will have to look further into these planets to determine what type rocky like Earth and what type gas (with a very thick atmosphere, like Neptune). The planets take between 6 and 143 days to complete one orbit around its star. All are closer to its star than Venus is from the Sun. Continue reading →