In 2022, scientists confirmed the 5,000th exoplanet was found, discovered a new class of alien planets made of half-rock and half-water, detected a hidden Jupiter-sized world, discovered a scorching 'super-Earth' exoplanet, and found three newfound exoplanets circling dangerously near their dying stars.
Additionally, astronomers discovered the metal barium in the skies of two searingly hot alien worlds.
There have been many new planets discovered in the last five years through various methods such as the transit method and the radial velocity method. Some notable exoplanet discoveries made in the last five years include:
Kepler-186f: This is the first Earth-sized planet discovered in the habitable zone of a star, meaning it is located in an area where liquid water could exist on its surface. It was discovered in 2014.
TOI 700 d: This is an Earth-sized planet located in the wearable zone of its star and was discovered in 2020. It is notable because it is located just over 100 light-years away and is one of the closest Earth-sized planets found to date.
TRAPPIST-1: This is a system of seven Earth-sized planets located about 40 light-years away. It was discovered in 2017 and is notable because three of the planets are located in the habitable zone of their star.
These are just a few examples of the many new planets that have been discovered in the last five years. The field of exoplanet discovery is a rapidly evolving one, and new planets are being discovered all the time.
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