Astronomers anticipate 100 billion Earth-like planets

[piratefish08]

"Researchers at The University of Auckland have proposed a new method for finding Earth-like planets and they anticipate that the number will be in the order of 100 billion.

The strategy uses a technique called gravitational microlensing, currently used by a Japan-New Zealand collaboration called MOA (Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics) at New Zealand’s Mt John Observatory. Their work will appear in the Oxford University Press journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Lead author Dr Phil Yock from the University of Auckland’s Department of Physics explains that the work will require a combination of data from microlensing and the NASA Kepler space telescope.

“Kepler finds Earth-sized planets that are quite close to parent stars, and it estimates that there are 17 billion such planets in the Milky Way. These planets are generally hotter than Earth, although some could be of a similar temperature (and therefore habitable) if they're orbiting a cool star called a red dwarf.”




http://www.ras.org.uk/news-and-press/224-news-2013/2239-astronomers-anticipate-100-billion-earth-like-planets

[Cirque du So-What]

1. Yes, but...

how many of them have a satellite, like our own Luna, with enough gravitational force to create ocean tides like here on Earth? I ascribe to the theory that early life originated in tidal waters as a result of continual churning caused by the moon's gravitational tug. There may well be as many Earth-like planets as these researchers postulate, but unless these planets have serendipitously captured an object as massive as our moon somewhere along the way, I consider it unlikely that those planets would have as much biodiversity as our planet - if there's any life at all, that is.

[Gravitycollapse]

2. Yeah...that doesn't make any sense.

Regardless of the fact that out of 17 billion planets there are almost certainly millions if not billions with near satellites, there is nothing anywhere in biology or astrobiology necessitating tidal fluctuations in the creation of or habitability towards biological life.

[Cirque du So-What]

10. You'll have to take that up with the real scientists who originated this theory

I don't discuss such matters with those who strike a shitty 'doesn't make any sense' tone with me. Bye.

[Gravitycollapse]

13. I'm not sure those scientists meant their findings to be "universal."

In other words, I doubt their principal argument was that life can only come into existence in the presence of tidal fluctuations of an ocean. They were likely putting forth a descriptive theory, not a prescriptive theory.

I did not mean to offend. I just do not think your argument makes sense. In the process of learning about how the Solar System became habitable to biological life, I was never under the impression that such theorizing precluding the possibility of other mechanisms creating life in other places.

[Cirque du So-What]

17. They don't say it's impossible without strong, rhythmic tides

rather that the tides created the conditions necessary for formation of early DNA. It's not my theory; I'm merely stating the prevailing theory in which I place the most credence.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4786-no-moon-no-life-on-earth-suggests-theory.html

[krispos42]

3. We may also need a "friendly Jupiter"

A big planet that can clear the area of dangerous debris but not so big and close it prevents an earth type world from being formed.

[Cirque du So-What]

4. That too

It's good that we've got a big fellow out there protecting us little guys in a cosmic version of 'red rover.'

[krispos42]

7. Have you ever read...

"If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens... Where is Everyone?"

Great book!

[Cirque du So-What]

8. I've seen references to it here & there

I'll have to give it a read

[krispos42]

9. You can get it cheap on Amazon.

If you're in Connecticut I can loan it to you.

[Cirque du So-What]

11. Well, I'm not close enough for that

although I did live for awhile in CT almost 40 years ago. GAWD, do I feel old now!

[spin]

18. Many believe that Aliens are observing us today. ...

and some that they have influenced our development in the past.

I personally have never seen a UFO and if I did, I would be reluctant to say that it was evidence of extraterrestrials unless it landed near me and an Alien walked out and said, "Take me to your leader."

However I have met a number of people who have observed a strange phenomena that was hard to explain. I knew these people well and they didn't have a habit of exaggerating or telling stories. Some were family members.

I tend to be open minded. I will accept the fact that there could be an advanced civilization who has discovered our planet and has some interest in our activities. Our civilization is at a very interesting time in its development as we now have the ability to destroy ourselves. An advanced species might have went through a similar time in its development and might merely observe our efforts to pass this "test" without interfering. If we learn to control our basic tendencies and our aggressive nature, we will probably be able to develop the necessary technology to journey throughout our solar system and eventually to reach the near stars. Otherwise we could return to the Stone Age.

It might also be possible that UFOs are time travelers from the future. If so they would be hesitant to change the course of history but happy to observe.

We always assume that we know far more than we do. I was born in 1946 and it is absolutely amazing how much our scientific knowledge has progressed in my lifetime. In 1946 many people and some scientists felt it was impossible for a human to go faster than the speed of sound. (ref: http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/S/sound_barrier.html)

I would be very hesitant to guess how much more we will know in another 67 years let alone another 1000 or 2000 years. An Alien race could easily have a 100,000 year head start on us. If so they would consider our technology to be in the Stone Age, barely developed. Still they might be interested in recording what we do and showing it on their History Channel as entertainment.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Enough that will see the rise of life

Also more than a few will be satellites of Jovian giants n the life zone.

The architecture of solar systems is already surprising all who are following the science.

The cool part is the universe I created for fiction, some of the systems actually have exo planets, one Terran like in the life zone.



It was a wag on my part in 2003

[MineralMan]

6. That means I get several

for myself. Cool...

[Cirque du So-What]

12. Do you think you'll stand a better chance

with planetary distribution than we fare with monetary distribution here on Earth? There's probably an extraterrestrial elite 1% who have snapped up the lion's share already.

[RebelOne]

14. That is only in our galaxy.

How about in the hundred millions of other galaxies in outer space?

[Gravitycollapse]

15. There are 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars in the Universe.

Enough to make the odds that we are the only intelligent life in the Universe extremely low. Some might argue statistically impossible.

[olddots]

16. hopefully only a few of them will have beings as repulsive as earthlings