Lurking throughout the distant cosmos beyond the solar system, researchers recently found what they believe could be another whopping 10,000 planets orbiting suns that aren’t our own.
The Milky Way galaxy and beyond is considered to be absolutely teeming with such worlds, known as exoplanets. But so far, humanity is only aware of just more than 6,000 confirmed exoplanets.
Using a new technique that partly relies on artificial intelligence, though, a team of scientists made a massive find that, if verified, could more than double the number of discovered exoplanets in the universe. The detection would be a major leap forward in astronomers’ hunt for planets beyond Earth that could support life.
The momentous revelation also comes as NASA readies for a potential 2026 launch its advanced Nancy Grace Roman Space telescope, which could unlock even more new worlds.
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Here’s everything to know about the latest exoplanet discovery.
What are exoplanets?
Scientists have found thousands of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) throughout the galaxy. Most can be studied only indirectly, but scientists know they vary widely, as depicted in this artist’s concept, from small, rocky worlds and gas giants to water-rich planets and those as hot as stars.
Exoplanets are planets outside Earth’s solar system. For that reason, these celestial bodies are sometimes also referred to as extrasolar planets.
While most orbit another star – just like Earth orbits the sun – some, called rogue planets, are floating through the cosmos untethered.
How many exoplanets are there?
As of May 2026, a total of 6,286 exoplanets have been confirmed, according to NASA’s Exoplanet Science Institute, which monitors and tracks exoplanets. What’s more, not only are nearly 8,000 additional exoplanet candidates awaiting official confirmation, but billions are thought to exist, astronomers say.
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More than 10,000 more exoplanet candidates found
But now, researchers have devised a method that allowed them to discover potentially more than 10,000 more previously undetected worlds beyond our solar system.
To make the find, the scientists turned to NASA’s exoplanet-hunting Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) – responsible for the discovery of nearly 900 exoplanets alone. Implementing a machine learning process to comb through old NASA data from the first year of TESS operations in 2018 is what led them to spot 10,091 possible planet-like objects never before observed.
TESS makes its discoveries by observing starlight. When the star’s light dims from the satellite’s vantage, that indicates a planet may be “transiting” – or passing in front of – their host star.
But instead of only analyzing data from bright stars, the team of researchers expanded their search for planets to include another 83 million fainter stars TESS had already observed. While the objects are considered mere exoplanet candidates until additional evidence allows them to be officially confirmed as such, the discovery published in a study on research repository ArXiv and awaiting peer review – is major leap forward in planet-hunting techniques.
Why is finding, exploring exoplanets important?
Since the first exoplanet was discovered in 1995, researchers have spent years looking for and finding all sorts of strange and captivating worlds.
But there’s one they haven’t found yet: a planet that closely resembles Earth. Such a landmark discovery would be a monumental leap forward to finding a world that could potentially harbor living organisms.
In April 2025, scientists came close.
An exoplanet known as K2-18b achieved a degree of fame a year ago when a team of astronomers claimed to have found in its atmosphere “the strongest evidence yet” that life exists anywhere else besides Earth. Other scientists have since cast doubt on the findings – putting a damper on the notion that humanity finally had proof that we aren’t alone in the cosmos.
The search for life beyond Earth in our own backyard
The search for life beyond Earth is, of course, also taking place much closer to home in our own solar system.
While Mars is a potential time capsule with evidence of ancient life, other planets like Jupiter and Saturn are orbited by moons that NASA spacecraft are targeting in their hunt for life. That includes the Jovian moon Europa, where a probe is due to arrive in 2030 to search beneath its icy surface for signs of water and habitability.
Saturn’s 310-mile-wide moon Enceladus is also thought to be suitable for life.
NASA is also planning in 2026 to launch its Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is designed to discover thousands of new exoplanets primarily through a technique called gravitational microlensing.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 10,000 new worlds? What exoplanet find means in hunt for life