NASA researchers have discovered a new planetary system by analyzing data obtained during the operation of the Kepler space observatory from 2009 to 2018, Ednews informs referring to CBS News.
The study was published in the scientific journal Astrophysics.
NASA described the newly found planets as "sweltering" and "bathed" in radiant heat emitted by the host star that was described as "sun-like." That star is 10% larger and 5% "hotter than the sun," NASA said, and there is more heat per area from that star than any planet in our solar system experiences.
The system has been dubbed the Kepler-385 system because of the retired telescope's role in finding the planets.
All of the planets are larger than Earth, with the two inner planets just slightly larger and the other five planets even bigger, about twice the size of Earth. The inner planets are "probably rocky and may have thin atmospheres," NASA said, while the five outer planets are expected to have thick atmospheres.
The Kepler telescope, which was designed to search for planets like those found in the Kepler-385 system, stopped its primary observations in 2013, and conducted an extended mission until 2018. It showed that there are more planets than stars in the galaxy, and helped establish a detailed picture of what each of these planets and their home systems look like.