Discovery of the planet

Kepler Space Telescope of the US Aerospace Agency (NASA) discovered two planets orbiting two stars.

Illustration of a planet revolving around two stars. (Photo: NASA)

NASA announced it was the first time astronomers discovered the planetary system has two stars. They are about 4,900 light-years away and are located in the constellation Cygnus. Its existence proves that planets can revolve around binary star systems.

The planet on the inside of the system, called Kepler-47b, revolves around two stars for 50 days. This planet possesses a super hot atmosphere so it is covered by a layer of mist-like gas. With a radius three times the globe, it is the smallest planet around the star that humans have ever discovered.

Kepler-47c, the name of the outer planet, revolves around two stars for 303 days. Its distance from the star system is large enough for water to exist in liquid form. However, it is a giant gas planet with a slightly larger size than Neptune.