The Strangest Worlds Hubble Has Seen So Far | NASA Goddard
NASA recently reached an incredible milestone in the search for planets beyond our solar system: more than six thousand confirmed exoplanets. From blazing hot Jupiters to mysterious super-Earths and puffy gas giants, each new discovery expands our view of the galaxy and deepens our oldest questions.
When the Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990, not a single exoplanet was known. Yet Hubble’s precision and ultraviolet vision helped pioneer this field, revealing the atmospheres of distant worlds, tracing escaping gases, and uncovering exotic planets unlike anything in our solar system. Its studies have shown planets that are football-shaped, evaporating into space, or as dark as fresh asphalt, each one a testament to nature’s imagination.
Today, Hubble continues to team up with NASA’s new generation of observatories like Webb and TESS to explore these alien worlds in ever greater detail. Together, they are unraveling what these planets are made of, how they evolve, and whether they might harbor life. As we celebrate 6,000 confirmed exoplanets, we look ahead to the next 6,000 and to the discoveries still waiting beyond our cosmic horizon.
For more information, visit science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble
Paul Morris: Lead Producer
Artist’s Impression of WASP-121b
NASA, ESA, and J. Olmsted (STScI)
Release Date: May 8, 2026
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