NASA's Deep Space Camera Locates Host of 'Earths'

[Abyssdnb Profile]

Scientists celebrated Sunday after finding more than 700 suspected new planets -- including up to 140 similar in size to Earth -- in just six weeks of using a powerful new space observatory.

Early results from NASA’s Kepler Mission, a small satellite observing deep space, suggested planets like Earth were far more common than previously thought.

Past discoveries suggested most planets outside our solar system were gas giants such as Jupiter and Saturn -- but the new evidence tipped the balance in favor of solid worlds.

Astronomers said the discovery meant the chances of eventually finding truly Earth-like planets capable of sustaining life rose sharply.

NASA so far formally announced only five new exoplanets -- those outside our solar system -- from the mission because its scientists were still analyzing Kepler’s finds to confirm they are actually planets.

“The figures suggest our galaxy, the Milky Way [which has more than 100 billion stars] will contain 100 million habitable planets, and soon we will be identifying the first of them,” said Dimitar Sasselov, professor of astronomy at Harvard University and a scientist on the Kepler Mission. "There is a lot more work we need to do with this, but the statistical result is loud and clear, and it is that planets like our own Earth are out there."

[Germanpils Profile]

NASA found many other earth like planets but dont tell us some are civilized or not...


and when i think about NASA....?

[Blotto Profile]

The figures suggest our galaxy, the Milky Way [which has more than 100 billion stars] will contain 100 million habitable planets

so what there saying is, there is 100 million habitable planets in our galaxy, hmm if there habitable , dosnt that mean there is life forms allready on these planets, ie plant life creating oxygen ,, and were there is plants there will be insects, and so on . pretty bold statement by nasa. im surprised there is only a couple of response's to this thread. then again it is nothing we dont all ready know, that our galaxy is teaming with life.

[TheDuck Profile]

@abyssdnb Add link to source next time please man, especially with this copyright BS, I think I have an idea why you didn't link it though.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/07/ ... st-earths/


^^^Never noticed that before

Your right Blotto its nothing we don't already believe to be true already really, it seems over time more people will begin to understand life is the rule not the exception, good for the mainstream though, it should get a couple more cogs turning in the collective mind.

[Ihasabucket Profile]

NASA found many other earth like planets but dont tell us some are civilized or not...


and when i think about NASA....?

nasa is a tricky little organization from time to time...but i dont think that they can tell if any of these suspected earth-like planets are inhabited because they can't actually see them. they can tell that they are there because of their gravitational pull on the star they orbit. size and distance is approximated, and by that, they are able to distinguish from those in the "habitable region" and those which are not.