Exoplanet
A planet orbiting a star outside our solar system, revealed in vast numbers by telescopes like James Webb. These worlds exist in diverse stellar environments, including those where stars have evolved into red giants or white dwarfs.
An astronomical object that is a planet orbiting a star beyond the reach of our own solar system. While early observations were limited, modern telescopes like NASA's James Webb have revealed billions of these worlds, showing that planetary systems are common throughout the universe. Some may exist in environments where stars have evolved into red giants or white dwarfs, potentially engulfing inner planets.
What this means in real life
When astronomers detect a slight wobble in a distant star's light caused by an orbiting world, or notice the star dimming as a planet passes in front of it, they've found an exoplanet—a world circling that far-off sun rather than ours.
What it isn’t
It is not a planet within our own solar system (like Mars or Jupiter), nor is it a rogue planet drifting through space without a star. An exoplanet must orbit a star, even if that star is light-years away.
Commonly misused online
Social media often conflates exoplanets with habitable worlds or assumes all exoplanets are Earth-like, when in fact most are gas giants, extremely hot, or otherwise inhospitable to life as we know it.