Cidersomerset
5th November 2013, 21:25
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Milky Way may contain 20 billion Earth-sized planets
DateNovember 5, 2013 - 11:49AM 16 reading now
Kerry Sherriden
Short vid on link...
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/milky-way-may-contain-20-billion-earthsized-planets-20131105-2wyd6.html
Study shows potential life-friendly Earths
A study of data collected by NASA's Kepler space telescope shows one out of every five
sun-like stars in the Milky Way galaxy has a planet about the size of Earth that is
properly positioned for water, a key ingredient for life. NO AUDIO
As many as one in five sun-like stars may have a planet the size of Earth, and the
nearest could be in systems visible to the naked eye, astronomers say.The research is
based on a new analysis of findings from NASA's Kepler space observatory, and appears
in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Ten newly discovered planets
are close to Earth-sized and in the habitable zone of their stars, meaning they orbit at a
distance that is not too hot or too cold to support life, Kepler scientists said.
http://images.smh.com.au/2013/11/05/4896845/art-habitable-zone-illustration-620x349.jpg
The habitable zone corresponds to the range of orbits around a star where liquid water
may exist on the surface of a planet. Photo: Erik A. Petigura
There are about two dozen planets in total that may be a suitable distance from their
suns so that their oceans would neither boil nor freeze, said Bill Borucki, Kepler science
principal investigator.If they have oceans, that is.
The Kepler mission stops short of delivering on key details in the hunt for life on other
planets, such as the whether these planets have an atmosphere, oxygen or liquid water
to support life.
http://images.smh.com.au/2013/11/05/4896844/art-stars-earth-like-planets-habitable-zone-620x349.jpg
Analysis of four years of precision measurements from NASA's planet-hunting Kepler
spacecraft shows that about one in five sunlike stars may have Earth-sized planets in
the habitable zone. Analysis of four years of precision measurements from NASA's
planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft shows that about one in five sunlike stars may have
Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone. Photo: Erik A. Petigura
Still, astronomers say the latest Kepler findings are a key milestone in the search for
extraterrestrial life, and that more advanced technology in the future may answer more
questions.
"We have lots of missions to consider in the future. I think some of those, which are
already pushing technology, are likely to be done by our children or grandchildren," said
Borucki.The Kepler mission launched in 2009 on a search for planets outside the solar
system that may orbit at a distance from their host stars that could allow life to exist.
A total of 3538 planet candidates have been found so far, with astronomers observing
them as distant spots of light called transits, or passages in front of their stars that
cause dimming.
Astronomers have found 833 new planet candidates using the first three years of a total
of four years of Kepler data.After analysing the first two years of data, the team had
found a total of 351 Earth-sized planets. Now, they have found 647.Just 104 are in the
habitable zone, however, and of those, about 10 are believed to be potentially rocky like
Earth, scientists said.
Astronomers also made some calculations to project how many of the 100 billion stars
in our galaxy have potentially habitable planets.
"You can think of it like we are taking a census of extra-solar planets but not everyone
is answering the door," said Erik Petigura, lead author of the study from the University
of California, Berkeley.
Some transits might not be visible, or they may be lost in the brightness of the universe.
Based on this statistical analysis, astronomers estimate 22 per cent of stars like the sun
have planets about the size of Earth with a surface temperature conducive to life,
Petigura said.
"With about 100 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy, that's about 20 billion such
planets," he said.
That means the nearest sun-like star with an Earth-size planet in its habitable zone
could be "12 light years away and can be seen with the naked eye", he said.
The Kepler science consortium brings together about 500 scientists from around the
world.The space observatory itself is now hobbled by the loss of two of its orienting
wheels, and is no longer operating at full capacity, NASA announced in August.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/milky-way-may-contain-20-billion-earthsized-planets-20131105-2wyd6.html#ixzz2jo2QEAZB
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.54.3/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png
5 November 2013 Last updated at 17:55
One in five suns has habitable world
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/70927000/jpg/_70927974_70921744.jpg
Artist's impression of exoplanet Astronomers were not sure how many Earth-sized planets might be habitable
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Earth-sized 'lava world' discovered
Seven-planet solar system found
Exoplanet tally soars above 1,000
Astronomers have estimated how many of the 100 billion stars in our galaxy hosts a
potentially habitable planet.Using data from Nasa's Kepler space telescope, they argue
that one in five stars like the Sun hosts an Earth-sized world located in the "habitable
zone".
This zone is the region around a star where temperatures allow for water - a key
ingredient for life - to stay liquid at the surface.The researchers have published details
in the journal PNAS.
"What this means is, when you look up at the thousands of stars in the night sky, the
nearest Sun-like star with an Earth-size planet in its habitable zone is probably only 12
light years away and can be seen with the naked eye," said co-author Erik Petigura,
from the University of California, Berkeley.
He added: "That is amazing."
His UC Berkeley colleague Andrew Howard said the discovery showed that planets like
our own were relatively common throughout the Milky Way galaxy.
http://www.hpcf.upr.edu/~abel/phl/Intro_HZD.jpg
Habitable zone The habitable zone describes the range of distances where liquid water
can exist on the surface of a planet Last week, astronomers announced the discovery of
an Earth-sized, rocky planet orbiting its star at a hundredth of the distance between the
Earth and the Sun. Temperatures on this world would reach between 2,000C and 2,800
C, with much of the dayside molten, meaning there would be little chance for life here.
But team members cautioned that even finding Earth-sized planets in the habitable -
or "Goldilocks" - zones of their stars was no guarantee these worlds would be hospitable
to life.
"Some may have thick atmospheres, making it so hot at the surface that DNA-like
molecules would not survive," said another author, Geoff Marcy, professor of astronomy
at Berkeley.But Prof Marcy added: "Others may have rocky surfaces that could harbour
liquid water suitable for living organisms.
"We don't know what range of planet types and their environments are suitable for life."
Researchers had previously combed through some 42,000 stars and discovered 600
likely planets. Of these, 10 were both Earth-sized and located at a distance that was
just right for liquid water to persist on the surface.However, the team then corrected for
planets that might have been missed by software designed to sift through the Kepler
data for planet signatures. This process involved introducing fake planets into the data.
Accounting for these missed worlds, as well as the fact that only a small fraction of
planets are oriented so that they cross in front of their host star as seen from Earth, the
astronomers were able to estimate that 22% of all Sun-like stars in the Milky Way have
Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone.
"For Nasa, this number - that every fifth star has a planet somewhat like Earth - is
really important, because successor missions to Kepler will try to take an actual picture
of a planet, and the size of the telescope they have to build depends on how close the
nearest Earth-size planets are," Andrew Howard said.
"An abundance of planets orbiting nearby stars simplifies such follow-up missions."
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/67104000/jpg/_67104406_kepler_small.jpg
Kepler space telescope mission
An illustration of Kepler
Launched in 2009, the Kepler space telescope is on a mission to find Earth-like worlds orbiting distant stars
It works by detecting periodic variations in the brightness of stars caused by orbiting exoplanets passing in front of them
In January 2013, astronomers used Kepler's data to estimate that there are at least 17 billion Earth-sized exoplanets in the Milky Way Galaxy
How does the Kepler telescope work?
How rare is our blue planet?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24824007
======================================================
This was speculated earlier in the year...
Billions of Earth-Sized Planets in the Milky Way | New Kepler Estimate | NASA Space Science
NPU7YqwWkP4
Milky Way may contain 20 billion Earth-sized planets
DateNovember 5, 2013 - 11:49AM 16 reading now
Kerry Sherriden
Short vid on link...
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/milky-way-may-contain-20-billion-earthsized-planets-20131105-2wyd6.html
Study shows potential life-friendly Earths
A study of data collected by NASA's Kepler space telescope shows one out of every five
sun-like stars in the Milky Way galaxy has a planet about the size of Earth that is
properly positioned for water, a key ingredient for life. NO AUDIO
As many as one in five sun-like stars may have a planet the size of Earth, and the
nearest could be in systems visible to the naked eye, astronomers say.The research is
based on a new analysis of findings from NASA's Kepler space observatory, and appears
in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Ten newly discovered planets
are close to Earth-sized and in the habitable zone of their stars, meaning they orbit at a
distance that is not too hot or too cold to support life, Kepler scientists said.
http://images.smh.com.au/2013/11/05/4896845/art-habitable-zone-illustration-620x349.jpg
The habitable zone corresponds to the range of orbits around a star where liquid water
may exist on the surface of a planet. Photo: Erik A. Petigura
There are about two dozen planets in total that may be a suitable distance from their
suns so that their oceans would neither boil nor freeze, said Bill Borucki, Kepler science
principal investigator.If they have oceans, that is.
The Kepler mission stops short of delivering on key details in the hunt for life on other
planets, such as the whether these planets have an atmosphere, oxygen or liquid water
to support life.
http://images.smh.com.au/2013/11/05/4896844/art-stars-earth-like-planets-habitable-zone-620x349.jpg
Analysis of four years of precision measurements from NASA's planet-hunting Kepler
spacecraft shows that about one in five sunlike stars may have Earth-sized planets in
the habitable zone. Analysis of four years of precision measurements from NASA's
planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft shows that about one in five sunlike stars may have
Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone. Photo: Erik A. Petigura
Still, astronomers say the latest Kepler findings are a key milestone in the search for
extraterrestrial life, and that more advanced technology in the future may answer more
questions.
"We have lots of missions to consider in the future. I think some of those, which are
already pushing technology, are likely to be done by our children or grandchildren," said
Borucki.The Kepler mission launched in 2009 on a search for planets outside the solar
system that may orbit at a distance from their host stars that could allow life to exist.
A total of 3538 planet candidates have been found so far, with astronomers observing
them as distant spots of light called transits, or passages in front of their stars that
cause dimming.
Astronomers have found 833 new planet candidates using the first three years of a total
of four years of Kepler data.After analysing the first two years of data, the team had
found a total of 351 Earth-sized planets. Now, they have found 647.Just 104 are in the
habitable zone, however, and of those, about 10 are believed to be potentially rocky like
Earth, scientists said.
Astronomers also made some calculations to project how many of the 100 billion stars
in our galaxy have potentially habitable planets.
"You can think of it like we are taking a census of extra-solar planets but not everyone
is answering the door," said Erik Petigura, lead author of the study from the University
of California, Berkeley.
Some transits might not be visible, or they may be lost in the brightness of the universe.
Based on this statistical analysis, astronomers estimate 22 per cent of stars like the sun
have planets about the size of Earth with a surface temperature conducive to life,
Petigura said.
"With about 100 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy, that's about 20 billion such
planets," he said.
That means the nearest sun-like star with an Earth-size planet in its habitable zone
could be "12 light years away and can be seen with the naked eye", he said.
The Kepler science consortium brings together about 500 scientists from around the
world.The space observatory itself is now hobbled by the loss of two of its orienting
wheels, and is no longer operating at full capacity, NASA announced in August.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/milky-way-may-contain-20-billion-earthsized-planets-20131105-2wyd6.html#ixzz2jo2QEAZB
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.54.3/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png
5 November 2013 Last updated at 17:55
One in five suns has habitable world
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/70927000/jpg/_70927974_70921744.jpg
Artist's impression of exoplanet Astronomers were not sure how many Earth-sized planets might be habitable
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Earth-sized 'lava world' discovered
Seven-planet solar system found
Exoplanet tally soars above 1,000
Astronomers have estimated how many of the 100 billion stars in our galaxy hosts a
potentially habitable planet.Using data from Nasa's Kepler space telescope, they argue
that one in five stars like the Sun hosts an Earth-sized world located in the "habitable
zone".
This zone is the region around a star where temperatures allow for water - a key
ingredient for life - to stay liquid at the surface.The researchers have published details
in the journal PNAS.
"What this means is, when you look up at the thousands of stars in the night sky, the
nearest Sun-like star with an Earth-size planet in its habitable zone is probably only 12
light years away and can be seen with the naked eye," said co-author Erik Petigura,
from the University of California, Berkeley.
He added: "That is amazing."
His UC Berkeley colleague Andrew Howard said the discovery showed that planets like
our own were relatively common throughout the Milky Way galaxy.
http://www.hpcf.upr.edu/~abel/phl/Intro_HZD.jpg
Habitable zone The habitable zone describes the range of distances where liquid water
can exist on the surface of a planet Last week, astronomers announced the discovery of
an Earth-sized, rocky planet orbiting its star at a hundredth of the distance between the
Earth and the Sun. Temperatures on this world would reach between 2,000C and 2,800
C, with much of the dayside molten, meaning there would be little chance for life here.
But team members cautioned that even finding Earth-sized planets in the habitable -
or "Goldilocks" - zones of their stars was no guarantee these worlds would be hospitable
to life.
"Some may have thick atmospheres, making it so hot at the surface that DNA-like
molecules would not survive," said another author, Geoff Marcy, professor of astronomy
at Berkeley.But Prof Marcy added: "Others may have rocky surfaces that could harbour
liquid water suitable for living organisms.
"We don't know what range of planet types and their environments are suitable for life."
Researchers had previously combed through some 42,000 stars and discovered 600
likely planets. Of these, 10 were both Earth-sized and located at a distance that was
just right for liquid water to persist on the surface.However, the team then corrected for
planets that might have been missed by software designed to sift through the Kepler
data for planet signatures. This process involved introducing fake planets into the data.
Accounting for these missed worlds, as well as the fact that only a small fraction of
planets are oriented so that they cross in front of their host star as seen from Earth, the
astronomers were able to estimate that 22% of all Sun-like stars in the Milky Way have
Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone.
"For Nasa, this number - that every fifth star has a planet somewhat like Earth - is
really important, because successor missions to Kepler will try to take an actual picture
of a planet, and the size of the telescope they have to build depends on how close the
nearest Earth-size planets are," Andrew Howard said.
"An abundance of planets orbiting nearby stars simplifies such follow-up missions."
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/67104000/jpg/_67104406_kepler_small.jpg
Kepler space telescope mission
An illustration of Kepler
Launched in 2009, the Kepler space telescope is on a mission to find Earth-like worlds orbiting distant stars
It works by detecting periodic variations in the brightness of stars caused by orbiting exoplanets passing in front of them
In January 2013, astronomers used Kepler's data to estimate that there are at least 17 billion Earth-sized exoplanets in the Milky Way Galaxy
How does the Kepler telescope work?
How rare is our blue planet?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24824007
======================================================
This was speculated earlier in the year...
Billions of Earth-Sized Planets in the Milky Way | New Kepler Estimate | NASA Space Science
NPU7YqwWkP4