Astronomers using data obtained by NASA's now-retired Kepler space telescope have identified seven planets orbiting a star in our Milky Way galaxy, with all of them suffering the wrath of their star - radiant energy - even more brutally than Mercury.
This is the second-most planets so far discovered around any star beyond our solar system.
All seven are larger than Earth, the biggest of our solar system's four rocky planets, but littler than Neptune, the smallest of our solar system's four gas planets.
Scientists have to date identified more than 5,500 exoplanets - planets outside our solar system - and spotted hundreds of stars with multiple exoplanets.
"The chance of life on any of these seven planets is indeed pretty remote," Lissauer said.
Persons:
NASA's, Jack Lissauer, Kepler, Lissauer, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien
Organizations:
NASA's Ames Research Center, Planetary Science, Thomson
Locations:
California