NASA estimates we have 6,000 planets outside our solar system

By Dean Murray

The official number of planets outside our solar system has reached 6,000, according to space scientists.

NASA's tally of exoplanets does not include more than 8,000 additional candidate planets awaiting confirmation.

The milestone has been reached during monitoring for extraterrestrial life by NASA’s Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI), based at Caltech’s IPAC in Pasadena, California.

Confirmed planets are added to the count on a rolling basis by scientists from around the world, so no single planet is considered the 6,000th entry.

NASA said Wednesday, Sept. 17 they are "leading the world in searching for life in the universe."

Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters, said: "This milestone represents decades of cosmic exploration driven by NASA space telescopes — exploration that has completely changed the way humanity views the night sky.

"Step by step, from discovery to characterization, NASA missions have built the foundation to answering a fundamental question: Are we alone?

"Now, with our upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and Habitable Worlds Observatory, America will lead the next giant leap — studying worlds like our own around stars like our Sun.

"This is American ingenuity, and a promise of discovery that unites us all."

The milestone comes 30 years after the first exoplanet was discovered around a star similar to our Sun, in 1995.