Free Astronomy Magazine November-December 2025

4 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2025 ASTRO PUBLISHING S cientists have found thousands of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) throughout the galaxy. Most can be stud- ied only indirectly, but scientists know they vary widely, as depicted in this artist’s concept, from small, rocky worlds and gas giants to water-rich planets and those as hot as stars. [NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center] NASA’s exoplanet count surpasses 6,000! by NASA/JPL-Caltech T he official number of exoplan- ets — planets outside our so- lar system — tracked by NASA has reached 6,000. Confirmed plan- ets are added to the count on a rolling basis by scientists from around the world, so no single planet is considered the 6,000 th entry. The number is monitored by NASA’s Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI), based at Caltech’s IPAC in Pasadena, California. There are more than 8,000 additional candi- date planets awaiting confirmation, with NASA leading the world in