Kepler Confirms: Smaller Planets Rule the Galaxy

Kepler has delivered compelling evidence for at least 300 comparatively small planets that orbit inside the inner edge of the habitable zone around their stars. These are low hanging fruit too because their swift orbits are completed within a matter of days. Therefore, it’s easy to collect enough repeat transits to convince astronomers they are seeing the real thing.
TESS satellite pic

Kepler also identified several systems where more the one planet was seen transiting the central star. This greatly bolsters the common idea that systems should largely be coplanar (with some exceptions) because the planet formed in a flattened gas and dust disk encircling the newborn star.

The bottom line is that smaller planets are more numerous than big planets. This bodes well for finding habitats for extraterrestrial life as we know it. It is also encouraging that candidate Earth and super-Earths should, statistically, be abundant in our solar neighborhood.

news.discovery.com...

Good news for exoplanet fans, especially earth-like ones in the "Goldilocks zone."

jw

reply to post by jdub297


YES! LITTLE ONES RULE!

It would be nice to think brave little planets rule - and it would also be nice to think there is life elsewhere.

This is so cool !

A little more then a decade ago, we didn't even knew there were exo planets in existens.

GOODNEWSGOODNEWSGOODNEWS

*cough* sorry, i got a little excited there.

BECAUSE THIS ROCKS.

The likelihood that we have neighbors is soooo much higher now (well, it's exactly the same, but from our perspective it's higher) than when we first started finding exoplanets.

THIS ROCKS.

I honestly believe there are billions of inhabited planets in the entire universe. Some of the planets will have life that is not as developed as ours many will be far in advance of us, maybe thousands or millions of years in advance of us ( look how far mankind has come in just 100 years ,horse and cart to space shuttle) Just think about it, there are more stars out there than there are grains of sand on all the beaches and desserts on earth. That's alot of stars, most of them I believe will be found to have planets in the goldilocks zone. Just imagine at this moment there are countless planets with civilizations going about there day to day business just like us. This is the secret of the universe ,this is the big picture. Not only are we not alone we are almost insignificant compared to the countless civilizations out there.

Yea. Earths are a dime a dozen. I think there's at least one for every 3 stars.

reply to post by Solasis

we have learned so much about "extremophiles" that we are coming to realize that life can develop and succeed under bizarre conditions elsewhere.

We now suspect that several moons in our solar system likely support the conditions for rudimentary (or better) life, if not the planets they orbit.

We will find strong signs of extraterrestrial life (if we're still here) before the end of this century, if not much sooner.

very exciting.

jw

Exactly the kind of news I've been waiting for.

I want my own private 'new' Earth & plan to keep all the vast majority of reckless stupid people off it.

A big giant 'Keep Out' sign on its moon(s)

& a huge black hole with titanium teeth to chop down on anyone & anything that didn't get or follow the message.

Growing up, I just assumed there were planets around all the stars in space.. When I actually heard in school that they 'don't know' if any other planets exist, I was shocked that they actually thought that.

That's when I KNEW Adults didn't know everything.

I mean, for 80% of stars out there, I would guess there are anywhere between 5-100 planets (and moons) in each system.

Bank on the fact that other life forms as 'advanced' as us, or highly advanced to the point of creating a star and harnessing it. (Type 4).

reply to post by Gorman91

Yea. Earths are a dime a dozen. I think there's at least one for every 3 stars.

thats not possible. Only 1 in 20 stars in the GHZ are G type stars like sol. If your counting M stars the planets wont be like earth , if they're in the HZ of an M class star they will be tidally locked so no day/night cycle. Very diffirent from earth.


reply to post by Pharyax

for 80% of stars out there, I would guess there are anywhere between 5-100 planets (and moons) in each system.

the most recent spitzer telescope data puts the number of stars with planets at 20% - 60%


[edit on 28-6-2010 by yeti101]

reply to post by yeti101


Any planet around any star of any size can develop Earth-like conditions.


if you want to count Earth "twins", than it's more likely there is only maybe one or two other planets out there in the galaxy like Earth.

if you want to count planets you can live and, more importantly, thrive on, there is probably one every couple or so stars over.

Tidally locked worlds can have Earth-like conditions. As well as most any planet. Even those places not technically called a planet.

But the truth is, if you're looking for grassy fields, pine tree forests, flocking deer and birds, fruits, blue gorgeous seas, etc etc, you're out of luck. We're probably one of a hand full in the entire galaxy.

You can have black plants under a red star and yellow sky, with lead posioning-immune species that have lead in their blood which bounce off radiation, and whose gravity is so low you can bounce up and swim through the oxygen atmosphere with the bird-fish

You can have methane worlds that were incinerated and are now lands of lakes and deserts with large massive reptiles that store water chugging across the planet, and large birds that suck cactus trees "blood" to survive.

You can have milk planets with bacteria literally making milky white seas that create a slimy "cheese" that falls down and are eaten by bottom feeders. Milky seas that sometime shave floating chunks of this "cheese" where plants and greens grow on and generate oxygen from the gases.

You can have vast luminous worlds in eternal darkness, glowing as life developed bio luminescence and lives off chemical heat and warm seas.


You can have all of this. And live on it!

But if you want Earth. it's not likely you'll find another home.

[edit on 28-6-2010 by Gorman91]

In time we will begin to figure out what the "norm" is out in our Galaxy and that will help us to greatly understand just where we fit in. My thoughts go in a number of directions at once here...

Our Solar system make up is common: We will find Earths every place we look, life just can't help but form in the majority of goldilocks planets.

Our Solar system make up is uncommon: We find out that while rocky planets are easy to find, one or more variables (average planet rotation speed etc. etc.) say life formation is not springing all over like weeds but instead must be cultivated by a set of factors not unheard of, yet not everyday.

Our Solar system make up is rare: While rocky planets are a dime a dozen, it turns out some unforeseen factor(s) has caused Earth to do something unique. Only when a solar system is distance X from super nova type X do the right elements combine to set the stage for life.

At any rate its going to be very exciting to find the answers!

reply to post by jdub297


Hahah, this is really interesting to know! Thank you for the thread!

It's quite amazing that the physics of the universe provides smaller planets to form in more habitable zones where life could form. I guess it's quite a lucky thing!

Kind regards

Here's what I think will happen:

In about 20 years time, it will be announced that extra-terrestrial microbial life exists -- with incontrovertible evidence.

Then it'll turn into the same argument for another 50 years.

Instead of aliens not being able to exist, the argument will be that it's INTELLIGENT aliens that can't exist.

Why do these processes take so long?

Awesome, it looks like a Star Trek type near galaxy might be a very real possibility.

I wonder what the odds are that there are several relatively close planets were intelligent life has evolved earlier than ours.

You also have to wonder if we might be in a technology race to survive with developing species on other planets.

Now the possibility that we might be visited by aliens isn't so unlikely.

Originally posted by slank
I want my own private 'new' Earth & plan to keep all the vast majority of reckless stupid people off it.

I'll bet I can get you help if you promise to go right now.

Originally posted by Pharyax
Growing up, I just assumed there were planets around all the stars in space.. When I actually heard in school that they 'don't know' if any other planets exist, I was shocked that they actually thought that.

That's when I KNEW Adults didn't know everything.

We've assumed we are special or unique for far too long.

It is known as "hubris," and it is almost always fatal.

jw

I would suspect that different stars would evolve very different life forms. There are also a lot of star systems were several stars orbit each other, which throw a whole new set of equations into the picture.

Heck, there is evidence that living plasma creatures may occupy space, and that brings on a plethora of possibilities. A couple of red dwarfs might host massive numbers of plasma type species.

Still, there are many Sol like stars out there that will probably have Earth like planets.

Originally posted by guavas
Here's what I think will happen:
In about 20 years time, it will be announced that extra-terrestrial microbial life exists -- with incontrovertible evidence.
Then it'll turn into the same argument for another 50 years.
Instead of aliens not being able to exist, the argument will be that it's INTELLIGENT aliens that can't exist.

From the other systems' perspectives, WE are the "aliens," and have yet to exhibit any sign, more than 100 light-years out, that WE are intelligent!

They're arguing about it right now.

jw