Nasa and Google uncover solar system similar to our own
Scientists have used artificial intelligence to discover an eighth planet circling a distant star

Nasa has announced that its Kepler space telescope has found an alien solar system with as many planets as our own.
The eight worlds were found to be orbiting a previously identified star called Kepler-90, The Independent reports. The star has similar characteristics to our own sun.
While the star and its family of planets were already “known about”, says the Independent, the breakthrough came when scientists found the eighth and final world.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to Alphr, the discovery means the distinct solar system is similar to our own in having the highest number of planets orbiting a single star.
Nasa says the exoplanet, which has been dubbed Kepler-90i, is both “rocky” and “sizzling hot.” It orbits the host star once every 14.4 days.
Andrew Vanderburg, a researcher at Nasa, says: “The Kepler-90 star system is like a mini version of our solar system. You have small planets inside and big planets outside, but everything is scrunched in much closer.”
The exoplanet was discovered using Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) systems, the US space agency says. These were trained by scientists to identify alien planets through data gathered by the Kepler telescope.
Since the Kepler mission launched in 2009, Forbes says the telescope has gathered data on around 150,000 stars.
It’s almost impossible for scientists to manually sift through these findings, the website says, but the process is made possible thanks to Google’s AI programme.
Nasa to announce ‘breakthrough’ discovery
12 December
Nasa will this week reveal a “breakthrough discovery” in its hunt for planets containing life, the space agency has announced.
The discovery has been made using Nasa’s Kepler telescope - a space observatory launched in 2009 to find planets that can support life - and artificial intelligence (AI) systems from Google, The Independent reports.
Little is known about Google’s involvement with Nasa, but according to the International Business Times, the tech giant’s AI may have been used to develop “a new way of analysing data from the Kepler spacecraft”.
Nasa says Google’s AI operates by employing machine learning, a process where the programme teaches itself how to analyse data.
“Google’s machine learning approach to artificial intelligence is considered the world’s pioneering application in the field,” adds the IBS website.
Tech Times says the Kepler telescope has already found “several planets” that could support life.
These planets are located in an area referred to as the Goldilocks Zone, where it is “neither too hot nor too cold to allow liquid water to flow”, the site says.
However, many such planets are too far away for Nasa to launch a satellite or crewed missions to investigate them.
Nasa’s news conference will be live-streamed on its website on 14 December at 6pm GMT.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will Europe beat China and India to the North Pole?
Podcast Plus, is the man who designed the iPhone going to kill his own creation? And what's going on at the equalities watchdog?
-
Is it finally all change for train Wi-Fi?
In The Spotlight South Western Railway's 5G Wi-Fi service has changed the way passengers connect – but will the new system catch on?
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A cheesy chase, a cinema on water, and more
-
Google's new AI Mode feature hints at the next era of search
In the Spotlight The search giant is going all in on AI, much to the chagrin of the rest of the web
-
How the AI takeover might affect women more than men
The Explainer The tech boom is a blow to gender equality
-
Did you get a call from a government official? It might be an AI scam.
The Explainer Hackers may be using AI to impersonate senior government officers, said the FBI
-
What Elon Musk's Grok AI controversy reveals about chatbots
In the Spotlight The spread of misinformation is a reminder of how imperfect chatbots really are
-
Is Apple breaking up with Google?
Today's Big Question Google is the default search engine in the Safari browser. The emergence of artificial intelligence could change that.
-
Inside the FDA's plans to embrace AI agencywide
In the Spotlight Rumors are swirling about a bespoke AI chatbot being developed for the FDA by OpenAI
-
Digital consent: Law targets deepfake and revenge porn
Feature The Senate has passed a new bill that will make it a crime to share explicit AI-generated images of minors and adults without consent
-
AI hallucinations are getting worse
In the Spotlight And no one knows why it is happening