14 replies to this topic

[27vet]

Carl Sagan would be proud: @NASAKepler confirms estimates of at least 100 billion planets in our galaxy http://go.nasa.gov/ZgEVTx

Quote

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

January 03, 2013

Look up at the night sky and you'll see stars, sure. But the sky is also filled with planets -- billions and billions of them at least.

That's the conclusion of a new study by astronomers at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, which provides yet more evidence that planetary systems are the cosmic norm. The team made their estimate while analyzing planets orbiting a star called Kepler-32 -- planets that are representative, they say, of the vast majority of planets in our galaxy and thus serve as a perfect case study for understanding how most of these worlds form.

Read more...

[Hilander]

Never had any doubt of that.

[Adam frm manchester uk]

Didn't the Drake equation come out with this information a while ago ?

[marcos anthony toledo]

Planetary system are everywhere.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Adam frm manchester uk, on 07 January 2013 - 02:09 PM, said:

Didn't the Drake equation come out with this information a while ago ?

Not at all. The Drake Equation is used for estimating the number of technological civilisations in the galaxy. The number of planets in the galaxy is one of the figures you have to know BEFORE you can accurately use the equation. Until recently this figure was based on assumptions, not observations.

Many of the terms in the Drake Equation are still basically guesses.

[27vet]

The problem is that we can't see them with current equipment.

[Troublehalf]

I feel sorry for God, if he exists. Not only did he create Earth and made it his "key" planet, he then decided to make trillions upon trillions of galaxies, each with billions upon billions of stars, each with stars. What a lot of wasted work. I mean, we've only been here for 6,000 years, so he has created all this stuff for no reason. Also, making Earth 70% salt water, nice move God!

It's almost like there is no God, or if there is, he cares very little about us, if at all.....

So, I did some calculations a few years ago based on estimates and stuff... Using crap assumptions and so on, I basically came with the estimation that there is 36,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Earth like planets in the universe... Which were only know 1% about... Still, hopefully we'll find some bacterial life soon.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

27vet, on 07 January 2013 - 03:56 PM, said:

The problem is that we can't see them with current equipment.

Not entirely true. We have already directly imaged 13 planets. (See HERE on Wikipedia for a list). All are at least twice as large as Jupiter and fairly close.

We will never be able to directly observe the vast majority, but over the next few decades that list of 13 will expand dramatically.

[tritchey24]

Troublehalf - You can knock me for my beliefs if you want, but i can tell you what I believe. I believe there are many Gods out there, but to us there is only one God. I believe that each Galaxy has its own God with many creations/stars/planets in our own galaxy. I dont think any of it is wasted work. The planets in our solar system may not have people on them, but each planet is in perfect balance and makes our solar system complete. Without Jupiter/Saturn,ect...we wouldnt be here

[Andromedan Starseed 333]

there are planets that have life already and that have life not just any type of life but intellegent  life and more advanced than we are.we think that we are the center of attention or most advancedn life form out there but thats not true!we are not the only planet with life or lucky planet to have life the universe is amzingly unlimited and to think that planet earth is the only planet is lucky enough to have life is wrong and also to think thatwe are the only ones and that life don't exist one must be amazingly and supremely ignorant and narraow minded to say the least.i just hope that aliens and UFOs make contact with normal regular people and not with the  U.S.A goverment AND etc because if we wait for them to tell us they exist and etc will maybe never see that day at all.i mentioned aliens because these planets have E.T life forms and very intellegent thats why.not all but most planets most likely.also there might be more planets than we think how much really well theres not really a way to tell aleast by conventional means and by science but thats makes sense 100 billion or more.

Edited by King Cobra 1408, 07 January 2013 - 09:01 PM.

[doppleganger2015]

I agree.

[Jaygatz]

@tritchey24
pretty sure Steven Hawking proved there was no need for a grand creator.  aka GOD.  hey come on you know its true.... how could you not believe a guy in a wheelchair... and glasses.   LOL
JK :P

[Rhino666]

So we can all have our own planet then. No more congestion charging.

[Kafkaesque]

The problem with the Drake Equation is that it still amounts to conjecture.

It's an educated guess at best, but that's still better than blindly shooting in the dark.

Many distant civilizations, if they did exist, probably exist now, existed millions of years ago, or billions of years ago.

But there will still be planets where we may find signs of life or previously existing civilizations.

[Zeta Reticulum]

Eonwe, on 10 January 2013 - 09:22 PM, said:

The problem with the Drake Equation is that it still amounts to conjecture.

It's an educated guess at best, but that's still better than blindly shooting in the dark.

Many distant civilizations, if they did exist, probably exist now, existed millions of years ago, or billions of years ago.

But there will still be planets where we may find signs of life or previously existing civilizations.

Yes, as is probably the case with Mars. However don't hold your breath waiting for NASA to admit to anything like that when it is found.