A more crowded universe?

• Position: Kepler satellite identified more possible planets - Space - Brief article

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NASA's Kepler satellite recently identified 1,235 possible planets outside our solar system--triple the number of known planets. Launched into space in 2009, Kepler has been searching for Earth-like planets by measuring the brightness of stars. Though none of the new planet contenders appears to be quite like Earth, astronomers are optimistic that there are such planets out there. Fifty-four of the 1,235 are in habitable zones of stars dimmer and cooler than the sun. That means liquid water--a key element for...