1 00:00:00,220 --> 00:00:01,960 - [Narrator] Earth is awesome. 2 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:03,890 What would be even more awesome, 3 00:00:03,890 --> 00:00:07,590 if we found another earth, or a bunch of earths. 4 00:00:07,590 --> 00:00:10,100 That's one of the things we're looking for at NASA 5 00:00:10,100 --> 00:00:15,100 as we study exoplanets, planets outside our solar system. 6 00:00:15,450 --> 00:00:18,630 But maybe searching for a planet similar to our own, 7 00:00:18,630 --> 00:00:19,920 where conditions might have led 8 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,510 to an entirely unique origin of life, 9 00:00:22,510 --> 00:00:25,870 finally telling us that we're not alone in the universe, 10 00:00:25,870 --> 00:00:27,530 maybe that's not your thing. 11 00:00:27,530 --> 00:00:28,480 That's cool. 12 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:29,740 Maybe you're more interested 13 00:00:29,740 --> 00:00:32,910 in just how weird exoplanets can be. 14 00:00:32,910 --> 00:00:35,070 We think there are entire worlds 15 00:00:35,070 --> 00:00:38,500 covered by deep oceans, water worlds. 16 00:00:38,500 --> 00:00:39,770 Not weird enough for you? 17 00:00:39,770 --> 00:00:44,760 Okay. How about planets covered entirely in oceans of lava? 18 00:00:45,890 --> 00:00:47,660 There are egg-shaped planets, 19 00:00:47,660 --> 00:00:50,470 worlds that orbit so close to their stars 20 00:00:50,470 --> 00:00:53,940 that they're pulled by gravity into a lopsided shape. 21 00:00:53,940 --> 00:00:57,700 And there are planets where conditions might be just right 22 00:00:57,700 --> 00:01:00,440 for it to rain things like glass, 23 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,443 or even rubies and sapphires. 24 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:07,490 There are planets that orbit pairs and even groups of stars. 25 00:01:07,490 --> 00:01:11,160 Imagine having three or four suns in the sky! 26 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,140 On the opposite end of the spectrum, 27 00:01:13,140 --> 00:01:16,710 there are the loners, rogue planets wandering out in space 28 00:01:16,710 --> 00:01:18,950 with no star to call their own. 29 00:01:18,950 --> 00:01:22,140 There are even planets that orbit dead stars, 30 00:01:22,140 --> 00:01:24,720 stars that exploded long ago 31 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:28,520 and left behind a rapidly spinning core called a pulsar. 32 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:30,220 Some of these pulsar planets 33 00:01:30,220 --> 00:01:32,640 could be among the oldest in our galaxy, 34 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,280 pushing 13 billion years. 35 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:36,570 Such planets would have witnessed 36 00:01:36,570 --> 00:01:39,030 most of the history of the universe, 37 00:01:39,030 --> 00:01:41,580 sadly, nearly all of it without tacos. 38 00:01:41,580 --> 00:01:44,850 Now, we think that we haven't found one yet, 39 00:01:44,850 --> 00:01:46,940 that there probably are exoplanets 40 00:01:46,940 --> 00:01:48,880 pretty similar to earth out there. 41 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:51,570 But in the meantime, there are absolutely tons 42 00:01:51,570 --> 00:01:54,560 of weird, wondrous worlds in our galaxy. 43 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:57,143 (jaunty music)