Astronomers say there are at least 17 billion Earth-sized planets in the Milky Way

Back in June of last year , uranologist working with the Kepler distance scope made the bold declaration thatall stars have planets . While this is all ok - and - well ( if not intuitively obvious ) , what was not known is how many Earth - sized planets are out there . But now , a new analysis of Kepler data may be providing the answer — and it ’s potentially huge . harmonize to research just presented at the221st encounter of the American Astronomical Society in California , the Milky Way hosts no less than 17 billion planets around the size of ground .

https://gizmodo.com/a-game-changer-in-the-search-for-alien-life-all-stars-5918518

The study , which was conducted by Francois Fressin of the Harvard - Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics ( CfA ) , indicates that about 17 per centum of principal have an ground - sized major planet in an orbit closer than Mercury . That ’s about one in every six star system . afford that the Milky Way has about 100 billion wizard , that adds up to the figure of 17 billion .

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Not Earth - Like , and Not inevitably inhabitable

Now , it ’s important to note that this number only describes those planets which are in secretive proximity to their parent wizard — a distance that places them outside the solar system ’s inhabitable zone ( orbits that are about 85 days or less ) .

The reason for the note is that it is currently very unmanageable to detect small-scale planets further out because of the limitation of current telescopic technique ( namely the transit method acting , which detects moment dips in a virtuoso ’s light when a satellite passes in front of it ) .

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At the same meter , however , the telephone number is break . If there are 17 billion world - sized planets in Mercury - comparable sphere , it ’s believably safe to assume that there ’s a substantial turn residing further out in the habitable areas . This is an unsubstantiated assumption , of course , but at least there ’s more datum available now to make such conjecture .

To transmit their investigation , the uranologist follow about 2,400 nominee planets spotted by the Kepler satellite over the first 16 months of its mathematical operation .

Fressin ’s fig had to take into account an obvious selectional burden : the only planet that can be notice are the ones that authorize along the same plane as the Earth . This involve the astronomers to do some extrapolating .

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Looking at the figure

The researchers find that nearly 50 percent of star have a satellite that ’s about the sizing of the Earth or larger in a close range . When including larger planets , like close - propinquity super Jupiters , that figure mouse up to 70 percent . That said , the uranologist believe that all stars have planets on report of data point coming in from other observations and spying techniques .

Fressin ’s squad categorise the planet into five types .

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As already take note , 17 percent of superstar have ground - sized planets ( which strike within 0.8 to 1.25 times the size of Earth ) . About 25 percent of stars feature a super - earthly concern ( planet 1.25 to 2 time the sizing of Earth , and orbit in 150 days or less ) . Similarly , a quarter of headliner have mini - Neptune ( 2 to 4 times the size of Earth , in orbits 250 Clarence Shepard Day Jr. long ) . Only 3 pct of whizz have large Neptunes ( 4 to 6 time Earth ) , and 5 % have Jupiter - like gas giant ( 6 to 22 times Earth , in orbits of 400 day or less ) .

Interestingly , the researcher also discovered that , except for gas giants , all type of planets are pro rata represented around different types of stars , whether they be red nanus or main episode stars like our own .

incite forward , a challenge for the astronomers will be to detect Earth - sized and Earth - like planets that sit farther out . But because they orbit less frequently , they are less susceptible to the transit method acting of detection . It ’s a problem that will likely be solved by due diligence — and uttermost sum of forbearance .

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