The US$600 million Kepler mission has allowed scientists to discover more than 4,600 planets -- 2,326 of them confirmed -- since it launched in 2009. Scientists on Monday discovered the exoplanets using the Kepler space telescope as well as ground observations by Earth-based telescopes, including four on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The unmanned Kepler mission has been scanning 150,000 stars in the Cygnus constellation for signs of orbiting bodies, particularly those that might be able to support life. NASA subsequently set the spacecraft on a new mission called K2, to study supernovas, star clusters and far-off galaxies. WASHINGTON - An international team of researchers have announced the discovery of 104 new planets outside our solar system, including four that could have Earth-like, rocky surfaces.

Source: Viet Nam News July 19, 2016 02:37 UTC