Study Estimates 100 Billion Planets In the Milky Way Galaxy

The Bad Astronomer writes "A new study finds that there may be 100 billion alien planets in the Milky Way alone, with 17 billion of them the size of Earth. Announcements like this have been made before, but this new research is more robust than previous studies, using data from the Kepler planet-hunting spacecraft over a longer period and analyzing it in a more statistically solid way (PDF). They also found that smaller planets are not as picky about their host stars, with terrestrial planets forming around stars like the Sun or as small as tiny, cool red dwarfs with equal ease."

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Goldilocks zone

[jasonvan]

I wonder if there is any way to statically guess the number of planets in the Goldilocks zone, the approximate distance from a star for liquid water to be possible. That would be a very interesting number but I'll just throw out a guess there will be more than one. It's remarkable to think of all the possible life that could be out there. We are probably destend to never meet, but it's interesting nonetheless. I think one of the greatest things finding life elsewhere would accomplish if it ever were to happen, is to study evolution on a completely different scale. The diversity on Earth alone is remarkable, to think what an entirely different planet might produce makes my imagination go wild.

Re:Figures

[pr0t0]

If there is a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from.

Re:Figures

[ArsonSmith]

A parallel study says that, of planets that can support life there is at least a 1 in 100billion chance that it will form there.

Re:it's a big universe

[dkleinsc]

If we're not, there's a good chance that the aliens are too far away for it to matter. That whole "1 light-year per year" speed limit and all tends to keep 'em away.

Re:Remember when there was just the one...

[boundary]

Shame they didn't say that about the number of movies they made.