Discovery alert: With six new exoplanets, 5,500 discovery milestone passed

On Aug. 24, 2023, more than three decades after the first confirmation of planets beyond our own solar system, scientists announced the discovery of six new exoplanets, stretching that number to 5,502. From zero exoplanet confirmations to more than 5,500 in just a few decades, this new milestone marks another major step in the journey to understand the worlds beyond our solar system.