A new study estimates that one in four sun - like star have Earth - sized planets — far more than antecedently thought . It challenges current possibility on how planet form , and may mean a greater chance of finding inhabitable existence .
Astronomers at UC Berkeley observe 166 K and K stars — stars similar to our sun — within 80 swooning class of Earth and gibe up the noticeable planets from each asterisk . According to their report in today ’s Science , they reckon that 1.6 percent of the sun - like stars in their sample distribution had Jupiter - sizing major planet and 12 percent had super - Earth ( 3 - 10 Earth masses ) . Extrapolating these findings , they estimate that 23 percent of these planets have Earth - sized planets .
Now , it ’s authoritative to note that none of these Earth - sized planets would be inhabitable . Current detection methods reserve astronomers only to find A-one - Earths that are nigh to their sensation . But that ’s what ’s so interesting . According to current example of satellite formation and migration , after their birth in a protoplanetary disk , planet should corkscrew inwards because of fundamental interaction with the petrol in the disk . If this were true , then the inner region of solar systems would be devoid of planets . But the Berkeley study find earthly concern - like planets in all likelihood do exist in the intimate ringing — and chance are we will find more planets further out in these solar systems ’ inhabitable zones as detection technology improves and the Kepler Mission turn its scope on these systems .
Andrew Howard and Geoffrey Marcy , who led the study , warn that this 23 percent is a very rough , very early estimate , but they ’re advance that it will mean the discovery of far more Earth - sized major planet than previously augur .
Based on these statistics , Howard and Marcy , who is a member of NASA ’s Kepler missionary work to survey 156,000 faint principal in hunt of pass through planets , calculate that the telescope
will notice 120 - 260 “ plausibly terrestrial worlds ” orbiting some 10,000 nearby thou and K midget stars with orbital periods less than 50 days .
Study says solar organisation like ours may be common[PhysOrg ]
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