The concept of a spacetime manifold serves as the foundational geometric model for the universe in modern physics. It is a four-dimensional coordinate system that intrinsically links the three dimensions of space with the single dimension of time. This union allows for a comprehensive description of all events and physical phenomena.
The exoplanet census continues to grow at a prodigious rate, with 6,273 confirmed planets to date and close to 20,000 candidates awaiting confirmation. What's more, the rate of discovery is accelerating, having passed 5,000 in early 2023 and 6,000 in September 2025. With such a large exoplanet census, along with improvements in instrumentation and data analysis, scientists are now focused on "exoplanet characterization" in addition to discovery. As always, the goal is to find planets that could be habitable for life as we know it (or "Earth-like").

