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After a case of mistaken data 10 years ago, scientists have finally confirmed the first planet discovered outside Earth鈥檚 solar system by NASA鈥檚 Kepler space telescope, according to a team from the University of Hawaii.

鈥淜epler-1658b鈥� was discovered by Ashley Chontos, a graduate student with the University of Hawaii鈥檚 Institute for Astronomy. Her team confirmed the exoplanet as part of her first-year research project in February.

The gas giant whips around its sun every 3.85 days. From the planet鈥檚 surface, its star would appear 60 times larger in diameter than Earth鈥檚 sun appears from its surface.

The exoplanet鈥檚 discovery has been a rocky road.

Ten years ago, initial estimates had been incorrect, so the sizes of 鈥淜epler-1658b鈥� and its star had been underestimated, according to . When the numbers didn鈥檛 add up, scientists thought they had made a mistake and said the data didn鈥檛 point to a planet.

But in 2017, Chontos went back through NASA鈥檚 Kepler telescope data using new software and eventually re-classified 鈥淜epler-1658b鈥� from a data anomaly to a potential planet.

鈥淥ur new analysis, which uses stellar sound waves observed in the Kepler data to characterize the star, demonstrated that the star [and the planet are] in fact three times larger than previously thought,鈥� she told NASA.

Because of her team鈥檚 new data, Chontos said 鈥淜epler-1658b鈥� should be classified as a 鈥渉ot Jupiter鈥� or as a heated gas planet, she explained in her .

鈥淗ot Jupiters鈥� typically orbit their stars at about one-tenth the distance that the Earth orbits its sun.

Astronomer Dan Huber, who co-authored the paper with Chontos, said their team had Dave Latham, a senior astronomer at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, use spectroscopic data to confirm their findings.

鈥淎s one of the pioneers of exoplanet science and a key figure behind the Kepler mission, it was particularly fitting to have Dave be part of this confirmation,鈥� Huber told NASA.

Despite being the 1st candidate planet discovered by the telescope, Kepler-1658b had a rocky road to confirmation. 10 years later, scientists have now confirmed that it is, in fact, a planet. It whips around its star every 3.85 days. Info:

鈥� NASA (@NASA)