Astronomers Say Milky Way Has Around 2 Billion “Earth Analog” Planets (That’s the Bad News)

80beats
By Patrick Morgan
Mar 30, 2011 10:35 PMNov 20, 2019 4:40 AM

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

: Based on early Kepler data, astronomers say that the Milky Way galaxy may house at least two billion Earth-like planets---one for every several dozen sun-like stars. As NASA researcher Joseph Catanzarite told Space.com, "With that large a number, there's a good chance life and maybe even intelligent life might exist on some of those planets. And that's just our galaxy alone — there are 50 billion other galaxies." But while 2 billion sounds like a lot, it's actually far below many scientists' expectation; Catanzarite says his teams' findings actually show that Earth-like planets are "relatively scarce." How the Heck:

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2025 LabX Media Group