NASA Says First Evidence Of Possible Moon Outside Our Solar System Has Been Found
- 6 years ago
NASA says astronomers have found evidence of a possible moon outside our solar system.
NASA announced on Wednesday that the first moon outside of our solar system, or exomoon, may have been discovered. "This moon candidate, which is 8,000 light-years from Earth in the Cygnus constellation, orbits a gas-giant planet that, in turn, orbits a star called Kepler-1625," the agency noted. Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters, Washington, said about the discovery: "If confirmed, this finding could completely shake up our understanding of how moons are formed and what they can be made of." NASA explains that exomoons, and exoplanets for that matter, are not directly observable, but can be detected "when they pass in front of a star, momentarily dimming its light." While, thus far, research efforts involving the possible exomoon show promise, further observations are needed.
NASA announced on Wednesday that the first moon outside of our solar system, or exomoon, may have been discovered. "This moon candidate, which is 8,000 light-years from Earth in the Cygnus constellation, orbits a gas-giant planet that, in turn, orbits a star called Kepler-1625," the agency noted. Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters, Washington, said about the discovery: "If confirmed, this finding could completely shake up our understanding of how moons are formed and what they can be made of." NASA explains that exomoons, and exoplanets for that matter, are not directly observable, but can be detected "when they pass in front of a star, momentarily dimming its light." While, thus far, research efforts involving the possible exomoon show promise, further observations are needed.