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Hunt for Alien Worlds
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Program Overview
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Are there other planets like Earth? This possibility has engaged
people for centuries. Millions of stars fill the universe but, as
far as astronomers know, only our Sun is encircled by a planetary
system. However, theories about how stars like our Sun formed
indicate that planets are a natural by-product, making it likely
that other planetary systems exist. Searching for evidence of
planets outside our solar system isn't easy. Trying to detect a
planet next to a distant star is like trying to spot a firefly next
to a flood light. NOVA investigates recent discoveries of planets
outside our solar system that could revolutionize theories about
planets and the existence of life elsewhere in the universe.
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