Seven new planets "hotter than the sun" are discovered circling a far-off star by a NASA telescope

NASA announced on Thursday that astronomers analyzing data from the defunct Kepler space telescope had discovered a new system of seven "scorching" planets orbiting a distant star that is hotter and larger than the sun.

NASA reported that the recently discovered planets were "sweltering" and "bathed" in radiant heat from the "sun-like" host star. NASA reported that star to be 10% larger and 5% "hotter than the sun," with more heat emanating from it per unit area than any planet in our solar system.

Every planet is bigger than Earth; the five outer planets are roughly twice as big as Earth, while the two inner planets are only marginally bigger. NASA stated that the five outer planets are anticipated to have thick atmospheres, whereas the inner planets are "probably rocky and may have thin atmospheres."

Because of the retired telescope's contribution to the planets' discovery, the system is known as the Kepler-385 system.

A new list of planet candidates found by the telescope includes this system. A system with more than six planet candidates is uncommon, according to NASA, out of the nearly 4,400 planet candidates in total, including more than 700 multi-planet systems. A planet that has been detected by a telescope but whose existence has not yet been established is known as a planet candidate.