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The results of a new study have been published, and researchers have found that data from exoplanets suggests there may be at least 300 million potentially habitable planets in the Milky Way. Scientists have found that about half of the sun-like stars in the Milky Way may be home to Earth-like planets.
Researchers have long believed that the best chance of discovering life outside our planet is to find Earth-like planets. Scientists also believe that the best way to find Earth-like planets is to look for sun-like stars. The researchers performed a new analysis of data collected by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, which was in operation from 2009 to 2018.
Using this data, they have come up with new estimates for how many stars in our galaxy are similar to the sun in terms of temperature and age. They also determine how many of those stars likely have rocky planets orbiting them in the star’s habitable zone. Current estimates suggest that there are 4.1 billion sun-like stars in the galaxy, with research suggesting at least 300 million of them have at least a single planet in orbit.
The data suggests that one in two sun-like stars may have a habitable planet, suggesting that there may be up to 2 billion or more habitable planets in the Milky Way. Less conservative predictions based on the data found that there could be up to 3.6 billion habitable planets. Those numbers are so huge it’s hard to wrap your brain around it.
The study has not been peer reviewed, but it will be and should be published in the Astronomical Journal. University of Rochester astronomer Adam Frank was not involved in the study, but said it appears to be a very accurate study. It remains to be seen how well the results hold up to peer review.
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