Study: Billions of Earth-size planets in Milky Way
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) - Astronomers hunting for Earth-like planets now have many places to look. A new estimate released Monday suggested the Milky Way galaxy is home to at least 17 billion planets similar in size to our planet.
It doesn't mean all are potentially habitable, but the sheer number of Earth-size planets is a welcome starting point in the search for worlds like our own.
Scientists have yet to find a twin Earth - one that's not only the right size but also located in the so-called Goldilocks zone, a place that's not too hot and not too cold where water might exist in liquid form.
Two independent groups came up with the new estimate after a fresh analysis of data gathered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft, launched in 2009 to track down other Earths. The craft spots a planet when it passes in front of its star.
One team led by Francois Fressin of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics estimated at least one in six stars has an Earth-size planet orbiting it. Using a different method, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and University of Hawaii determined 17 percent of stars host planets that are one to two times the diameter of Earth.
The findings were presented at the American Astronomical Society in Long Beach.
It doesn't mean all are potentially habitable, but the sheer number of Earth-size planets is a welcome starting point in the search for worlds like our own.
Scientists have yet to find a twin Earth - one that's not only the right size but also located in the so-called Goldilocks zone, a place that's not too hot and not too cold where water might exist in liquid form.
Two independent groups came up with the new estimate after a fresh analysis of data gathered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft, launched in 2009 to track down other Earths. The craft spots a planet when it passes in front of its star.
One team led by Francois Fressin of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics estimated at least one in six stars has an Earth-size planet orbiting it. Using a different method, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and University of Hawaii determined 17 percent of stars host planets that are one to two times the diameter of Earth.
The findings were presented at the American Astronomical Society in Long Beach.
I can hear Carl Sagan cheering...
 @OrcasThunder I miss Carl...........billions and billions of stars........:)
 @Susabelle  @OrcasThunder Carl made a huge difference in young kids lives.Â
So...
Only 'earthlike' planets can have intelligent life forms? Goes to show how ignorant we really are.Â
 @bobalouie We have no proof that there exists life on other planets as much as we might wish it to be so. Certainly it is possible that life could evolve but only under very unusual and rare circumstances. For instance, life will never evolve on Mercury nor on frozen planets.  So although it is possible for planets that don't have water and tides to have life, our time would be better spent looking for what we do know supports life.Â
That won't surprise me at all.
No, no, no, no. God just put those there a couple thousand years ago to confuse us. I mean shoot, don't you know the earth is flat, at the center of the universe, and Hell is under us? It's in the Bible it has to be true.
 @Howard Beale Man give it a break.
 @SeattleJoe  @Howard Beale and you believe this book over any other book exactly why ?
 @Getov Mylon  @DoctorPC  @Howard Beale Exactly. That was the key point I was trying to make. I just don't see why someone needs to make total jerkwad comments. People just need to live and let live.Â
@DoctorPC @SeattleJoe @Howard BealeAll books are written by man it is up to the reader to beleive it or not.
 @SeattleJoe  @DoctorPC  @Howard Beale No, I am not a Catholic nor a "religious" person. I respect all religions that don't assassinate non-believers.
 @SeattleJoe  @DoctorPC  @Howard Beale So what if people wanna believe that?  Just the other day we had a story on KOMO about a rock being sacred or whatever. Not my bag. Howie might wanna check with the Vatican on their latest regarding Extraterrestrial Life Forms. (Hint: God made them as well, so no problem). I don't think the Church has issues with a 14 billion year-old Universe either. The only stronger belief in the Universe than believing in God is those who believe that THIS TIME, Communism will work.
 @DoctorPC  @Howard Beale I made no such statement. I just figured that unless Mr Beale is going for the anal aperture of the year award he should keep the purposely inflammatory posts to himself. Still there is the first amendment and he has the right to say whatever jackass thing he wants.
Finding Earth like planets that would support human life might be the only way the human race could survive the way things are going. The only problem now is getting there.
The matter / anti-matter reactor is being worked on as we speak.. the problem is without deflector shielding.. little specks of dirt become a threat to the integrity of the vehicle you are in.. Must develop deflector shield technology...LOL
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 @Mr. H You been watching a bit too much Star Trek.
 @Crimsonkid  @DoctorPC You won't get any argument from me on that. A lot of the "sci fi" props used in the various series are common place now days. However exceeding the speed limit or mater-energy-matter transfer, those are going to take a bit more time...
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@DoctorPC @Mr. H Star Trek is closer to reality than most think or care to know about; one thing is for sure our government will not tell us pee-ons anything that takes their power away.
 @LongBeachBum I suspect in another 100 or so years, scientist will figure out a way to travel vast distances. The biggest issue can the human race avoid destroying the planet or each other and can we protect our selves from falling extinction sized neo's. The race has come a long way in the last 100 years but dammmm we have a long way to go
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A shame that NASA was destroyed back in 70's. Just think where we could be now if NASA hadn't been turned into just a giant spy agency. JFK is rolling in his grave.
"Astronomers hunting for Earth-like planets now have many places to look"
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They have always had many places to look.
 @al_wa Has only been recently that they have been able to see that far in any detail.
Something we knew all along there are uncountable class M planets in the universe just waiting to be explored
 @DoctorPC No matter ones beliefs, class M worlds would still be more rare than "uncountable" as there are a whole range of very specific conditions that have to be met for such to occur.
 @SeattleJoe Perhaps true for today, but given time and research.
 @DoctorPC Well possibly but physics is hard to get around. For a "type M" which is a planet with water, needed for carbon based life you need a very specific set of conditions. Size, distance from start, type of star, location in galaxy, etc. Unfortunately huge parts of the galaxy are outside the habitable region then most of the stars are the wrong type, then most of the planets are too close/far etc. It would be cool if it were true but this report is very optimistic.