exoplanet

A planet that goes around a star other than the Sun.

Also called an extrasolar planet, an exoplanet is outside our Solar System. The word does not mean that the planet is habitable or has life; those are separate questions.

• The team confirmed an exoplanet orbiting a nearby star.
• An exoplanet may be rocky, but that alone does not show that it can support life.
• Researchers are checking whether the signal could come from an exoplanet rather than from instrument noise.