Scientists estimate 10 billion Earth-like planets may exist in the Milky Way galaxy
This 2011 handout photo provided by the European Southern Observatory, shows the Milky Way above the La Silla Observatory in Chile.
Associated Press
Our take: It probably comes as a surprise to most readers that there could be 10 billion Earth-like planets in the Universe let alone close enough to home to be in our own galaxy.
About 40 percent of red dwarf stars may have Earth-sized planets orbiting them that have the right conditions for life.
Red dwarfs — which are smaller and cooler than our sun — are extremely common, making up 80 percent of stars in the galaxy. Their ubiquity suggests that there are tens of billions of possible places to look for life beyond Earth, with at least 100 such planets located nearby.
Read more about the search for Earth-like planets at wired.com.
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It only surprises those who are close minded and myopically think;
1.That the Earth and Universe are only 6,000 years old.
2.That we are the only ones out there.
3.That mankind cannot possibly affect our fragile planetary More..
Oatmeal,
How does dropping an H-Bomb on Texas, effect the planatery-ecosystem consisting of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the other planets? Can we destroy Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto, etc? Can we effect its orbit?
Sorry, but we More..
The milky way is only one of billions of galaxies in the universe.
This is probably a very low estimate, and yes mankind is too weak to possibly affect our non fragile planetary eco-system.