The term for planets found around stars outside the solar system is called what?

The term for planets found around stars outside the solar system is called what?

• A. Comets
• B. Exoplanets
• C. Moons
• D. Asteroids

Answer: (B)

Planets that orbit stars outside our Sun are called exoplanets. The name combines exo-, meaning outside, with planet, signaling that these worlds lie beyond our solar system. This term is used to distinguish them from the planets we know in our own neighborhood and to group all such distant planets under one label. Comets are small icy bodies that sometimes develop tails near stars; moons are natural satellites that orbit planets within a star’s system; asteroids are rocky bodies, mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, also in our solar system. Exoplanets, by contrast, are the planets discovered around other stars, expanding our understanding of planetary systems beyond our own.

Planets that orbit stars outside our Sun are called exoplanets. The name combines exo-, meaning outside, with planet, signaling that these worlds lie beyond our solar system. This term is used to distinguish them from the planets we know in our own neighborhood and to group all such distant planets under one label. Comets are small icy bodies that sometimes develop tails near stars; moons are natural satellites that orbit planets within a star’s system; asteroids are rocky bodies, mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, also in our solar system. Exoplanets, by contrast, are the planets discovered around other stars, expanding our understanding of planetary systems beyond our own.