160 Billion! The New Estimate of Alien Planets in the Milky Way

Originally posted by Triangulum

So with this estimate (and another I've linked above) we're getting to a point where it can be safely said that we cannot be alone in this universe.

And all that you base on an "estimate"..

Ok...

Originally posted by Hellas

Originally posted by Triangulum

So with this estimate (and another I've linked above) we're getting to a point where it can be safely said that we cannot be alone in this universe.

And all that you base on an "estimate"..

Ok...

You can be sure that's a conservative estimate. Also, that estimate only accounts for planets in our galaxy. There are 50 billion + known galaxies in the universe. But you go ahead and bury your head in the sand if you want to.

www.dailygalaxy.com...

We once made it to the moon, which is a only 260.000 miles from Earth. And people are STILL debating that it must be a hoax since they cannot comprehend that we have been on the moon

So we have 160 BILLION planets in our own galaxy, and approx 50 BILLION galaxies in the known universe.

Don't expect some people to comprehend those numbers and statistical likelihoods either...

That's a pretty conservative estimate. Most astronomers now say there are probably more like 200 billion stars in the Milky Way and possibly as much as 400 billion. It's very hard to estimate exactly how big our galaxy is from inside of it. We're much better at estimating the numbers of stars in other galaxies that we can actually see all of.

Multiply that 1.6/star number by the higher estimates and you'll probably be closer to the real number...and even that seems low to me as I think you could easily estimate more worlds/star than 1.6. I think both halves of that equation are probably pretty low.

Originally posted by SloAnPainful
I bet there is life right outside our oun solar system, prolly in Alpha Centuri. Just my opinon we wouldn't have to look far I'm sure.

-SAP-

edit on 12-1-2012 by SloAnPainful because: (no reason given)

Alpha Centauri is a trinary system (3 stars), and two of those stars are very similar to our own sun, the third is a very small red dwarf. Because of the orbits of the stars, it may be hard for too many planets to successfully stay in orbit around the two large, sunlike stars there, but not at all impossible. The smaller star is much farther from the other two, but being smaller is less likely to have too many planets to have formed around it.

Pandora in the movie Avatar is supposed to orbit one of the Alpha Centauri stars.

Originally posted by LifeInDeath

Alpha Centauri is a trinary system (3 stars), and two of those stars are very similar to our own sun, the third is a very small red dwarf. Because of the orbits of the stars, it may be hard for too many planets to successfully stay in orbit around the two large, sunlike stars there, but not at all impossible. The smaller star is much farther from the other two, but being smaller is less likely to have too many planets to have formed around it.

Pandora in the movie Avatar is supposed to orbit one of the Alpha Centauri stars.

For your reading enjoyment.

www.universetoday.com...
www.universetoday.com...