Major discovery on planets ‘beyond our solar system’

The news conference will take place at the US space agency’s headquarters in Washington. CBCNews.ca will be streaming it live here. Those expected to be in attendance include several astronomers, as well as Toronto native Sara Seager, a professor of planetary science and physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) NASA has said little about the announcement, other than it will present “new findings on planets that orbit stars other than our sun, known as exoplanets.” Seager is a renowned exoplanet researcher. Scientists have so far confirmed more than 3,400 exoplanets, but believe many more exist, with more than 4,900 others identified as candidates. Following the news conference, a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) will be held at 3 pm (GMT) with the scientists, who will answer questions about the announcement to anyone wanting more information.