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 wonder...if we found another planet with "intelligent" life (intelligent being subjective since we consider ourselves intelligent but look at what we do to ourselves...) would we, assuming we had the means, just plop ourselves on their planet and say "Hi!"? seriously....look at what it would to this world if someone did that to us...
can't wait to spread the word of God to them!
 @Phuzz Actually they already may Know him...they might ask what are we idiots doing to our planet. and they jsut might see fit to teach us a Lesson or two.. Or they could be like the Borg, Vulcan, Romulan Ferangy (man there women are ugly), Or they could be something like a cross between a spider and a dog... Who knows.. Can't wait to find out what they are like if they are out there.
Awesome. The idea that their radio signals will propagate far enough to detect them ever is astronomically unlikely, and if we do receive them, they're many and possible tens of thousands of years old or more, but, on the other hand, if they find ours and show up here, we're in trouble.
I could have told them that and I'm not even a scientist!
So if they find another earth, what's next? Are we going to try and destroy that one too with our "technology"?
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 @Pullerdawg The only reason you could tell them that is because of scientists. Nobody's "trying" to destroy this one. Lead by example and turn off you computer. It's made of plastic and consumes energy.