NASA may soon identify 2,400 alien planets

NASA's planet-finder has helped to identify 2,400 alien planets orbiting faraway stars in different solar systems.

As reported by the ABC News, the new discovery includes planets that are not optimum to know about the lives on the other planets as they are far too away to be easily studied by ground-based telescopes for hints of life but they will still change the entire viewpoint towards the universe.

"It's changed our view of planets, it's changed our view of our solar system and how common exoplanets are out there," ABC quoted Brad Tucker of the Australian National University as saying.

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) was launched today from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite is said to be a discovery machine through which a large number of exoplanets are expected to be discovered.

The minibus-sized craft is equipped with four wide-field cameras that can see in the near-infrared spectrum, looking for dips in light as planets pass in front of their stars.

Further, the spacecraft will move comes within 100,000 km of Earth and be able to look at 170,000 stars. It is expected that 20,000 planets of all sizes ranging from Jupiter-sized planets to planets the size of Earth or even the size of Mars could be found.