Artist's concept of the current mission configuration. SIM PlanetQuest (formerly called Space Interferometry Mission), currently under development, will determine the positions and distances of stars several hundred times more accurately than any previous program. This accuracy will allow SIM to determine the distances to stars throughout the galaxy and to probe nearby stars for Earth-sized planets. SIM will open a window to a new world of discoveries. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04248

This image shows the star VB 10 moving across the sky over a period of nine years. Astronomers nabbed a planet circling this star using a method called astrometry -- the first successful application of the method to planet hunting.

This plot tells astronomers that a fifth planet is in orbit around the star 55 Cancri, making the star the record-holder for hosting the most known exoplanets.

This artist concept shows four of the five planets that orbit 55 Cancri, a star much like our own. The most recently discovered planet, and the fourth out from the star, looms large in the foreground.

This artist concept illustrates two planetary systems -- 55 Cancri top and our own. Blue lines show the orbits of planets, including the dwarf planet Pluto in our solar system.

This artist concept takes us on a journey to 55 Cancri, a star with a family of five known planets - the most planets discovered so far around a star besides our own.