Major discovery on planets 'beyond our solar system' coming from NASA

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NASA scientists will hold a news conference later this afternoon, when they say they'll reveal a significant finding "beyond our solar system."

The news conference will take place 1 p.m. ET at the U.S. space agency's headquarters in Washington. CBCNews.ca will be streaming it live here.

Those expected to be in attendance include several astronomers, as well as Toronto native Sara Seager, a professor of planetary science and physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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NASA has said little about the announcement, other than it will present "new findings on planets that orbit stars other than our sun, known as exoplanets."

Seager is a renowned exoplanet researcher.

Scientists have so far confirmed more than 3,400 exoplanets, but believe many more exist, with more than 4,900 others identified as candidates.

Following the news conference, a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) will be held at 3 p.m. ET with the scientists, who will answer questions about the announcement to anyone wanting more information.