Science Bulletins: Kepler Discovers Dozens of Worlds

Kepler is the first NASA mission able to discover planets the size of Earth—and smaller—that are orbiting other stars. Kepler has discovered 11 solar systems and 26 planets, ranging from the size of Earth to larger than Jupiter. By searching for planets that lie within a star's habitable zone—in which a planet could maintain liquid water—the mission may locate terrestrial planets capable of supporting life.

Related Links

NASA: The Kepler Mission

About Kepler

Discovery Program

NASA Exoplanet Archive

[Uhmu]

@tehBLAX It is estimated based on the first data that there are 50 billion planets in the milky way. The current number of known exoplanets is in the 1000s but this will start growing fast. How many are habitable, i do not know.

[Uhmu]

@tehBLAX Not sure, but maybe try some of these links.

[rhondah]

@sabertooth1980 Earth-like planets are quite likely for sure but their obits may or may not take the same amount of time to complete an orbit around their star as our planet. We could find an Earth-like planet with two or more moons too and one that rotates faster or slower. The possibilities are endless. Point made was that not every planet revolves in a 365 day orbit even in our system.

[Uhmu]

@RhondaH Thank you, i did not know that.

[sabertooth]

@RhondaH That doesn't mean that earth like planets aren't out there.

[Uhmu]

So if it measures the decline in brightness then it takes a year or two or better even tree to make sure that there actually is a planet. That means there are only so many planets kepler can find before it breaks down.

[KebradesBois]

@sabertooth1980 but discovering so much planets just increase the probability of finding earth-like ones by a huge factor. I mean that drake's equation takes another meaning with that quantity of planets...

[tehBLAX]

@Uhmu45 oh, heaps of links in the description :D, btw do you know how many discoveries like this are made yearly?

[OccamsKatana]

@Acrimonator - Cooler maybe, more valuable? I wonder.

[tehBLAX]

@Uhmu45 Holy shit, so these are actual planets, that you can land on... Hey, do you know where i can find constant updates about these things? I am talking about like updating every few hours, with every major and non major discovery to do with astronomy? Thanks

[rhondah]

@Uhmu45 For the vast majority of these planets found, their obits are no where near as long as the Earth's yearly orbit. Think about it. They are closer to their star and orbit much faster, think months in Earth time.

[sabertooth]

@RhondaH That of course doesn't make life impossible.

[tehBLAX]

@Uhmu45 thanks for the reply, I might start to get into astronomy

[OccamsKatana]

@Acrimonator - haha, english isnt my first tongue either, so I understand;)

Did you mean more valuable?

[sabertooth]

@Acrimonator It's a great big universe and we're all kinda puny. The probability of there being earth like planets in the habitual zones around their stars other than our own? 100%.

[KebradesBois]

@sabertooth1980 I 100% agree, with about 1^24 stars in the universe...
When you stop and think about it... There's probably even more living organisms than stars in the universe... O_°

[OccamsKatana]

@Acrimonator - I always love seeing my own thoughts written out by others ;)

Slowly, but surely, the Drake equation sheds it subjective values!

[KebradesBois]

@sabertooth1980 Sorry, I just re-read my first answer to you and realized I understood the opposite of what you meant... I surely didn't quite read the first four words "That doesn't mean that"... :/

[sabertooth]

@Acrimonator That's alright! One day... The wall of language will dissolve!

[KebradesBois]

@OccamsKatana Pardon my limited vocabulary, english isn't my first tongue and when I can't remember the word I want to use I replace it with what first comes to my mind and often loose part of the intended meaning. That wasn't brilliant, I admit... XD
Fucking lazyness...