Astronomers find rare ‘supermoon’ beyond our Solar System and it could change what we know about the universe

EVIDENCE of a huge moon beyond our Solar System has been discovered by astronomers.

Finding moons beyond the Solar System we call home is very rare and there’s only one other example of exomoon evidence but it’s never been confirmed.

Helena Valenzuela WiderströmAn artist’s impression of the exomoon[/caption]

An exomoon or exoplanet is a moon or planet outside our Solar System.

The first ever sighting of what could be an exomoon was made four years ago.

This second finding could mean that moon’s orbiting planets are actually much more common than first thought.

A study about the potentially new ‘supermoon’ has been published in Nature Astronomy.

Lead researcher David Kipping said: “Astronomers have found more than 10,000 exoplanet candidates so far, but exomoons are far more challenging.

“They are terra incognita.”

Terra incognita is just another way to say the moons are unexplored territory.

The giant moon candidate was spotted orbiting planet Kepler 1708b.

That’s an exoplanet 5,500 light-years away from Earth.

If Kepler 1708b’s moon is confirmed soon that would make it the first scientifically acknowledged moon outside our Solar System.

Unfortunately, confirming things like this can take experts a long time.

The find could revolutionise how we think about planetary systems outside of our own.

Michael Hippke, an independent astronomer in Germany, said: “This is science at its best.

“We find an intriguing object, make a prediction, and either confirm the exomoon candidate or rule it out with future observations.”

He added: “I am very excited to see a second exomoon candidate, although it is unfortunate that only two transits have been observed.”

China has built an ‘artificial moon’ to train its astronauts for future missions.

A rugby ball shaped planet has been spotted outside our Solar System and scientists are calling it deformed.

And, Nasa thinks the James Webb Space Telescope will likely be hit by space debris.