Scientists have always speculated about the existence of planets orbiting other stars. From the desert world of Arrakis in Dune to the lush jungles of Yoda's planet Dagobah in Star Wars, we have been always fascinated with the idea of faraway lands.

In this episode Inês Pinheiro talks to Professor Monika Lendl about the discovery and the characterisation of exoplanets and what do they teach us about our own origins.

What if we could reach them one day with a spaceship? What if these worlds outside our solar system are swarming with life? Our Universe is estimated to have over 100 billion galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars. Our home, the Solar System is made up of eight planets, all orbiting the Sun but this is only one Star among billions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. Now we know that worlds beyond our Solar System - known as exoplanets - do exist, with over 5000 cataloged.