Scientists think they’ve found a moon orbiting a world outside the solar system

For the first time, astronomers think they’ve found solid evidence of a moon orbiting a planet outside of our solar system. 

And it’s a doozy. 

The exoplanet, named Kepler-1625b, is 8,000 light-years away and thought to be many times more massive than Jupiter, much larger than any world in our own solar system. The moon orbiting it is about the size of Neptune.

If confirmed, this will be the first time a moon has been found outside of the solar system, according to a new study detailing the finding in the journal Science Advances.

“It is an exciting reminder of how little we really know about distant planetary systems and the great spirit of discovery exoplanetary science embodies,” study co-author Alex Teachey said of the discovery in a statement.   Read more…

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