A new study has shown that there could be billions of Earth-like planets in outer space.
The new findings came from astronomers at the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Hawaii, using the NASA Kepler space telescope. The findings estimated that there could be tens of billions of Earth-sized planets out there, many of which could be in the habitable zone.
This is great news, as it also means there's a chance astronomers might one day come across life on other planets. Such discoveries would change the way we view the world and the universe forever.
"What this means is, when you look up at the thousands of stars in the night sky, the nearest sun-like star with an Earth-size planet in its habitable zone is probably only 12 light years away and can be seen with the naked eye," said UC Berkeley graduate student Erik Petigura, who led the analysis of the Kepler data. "That is amazing."
However, according to researchers, just because an exoplanet is Earth-sized, or is in the right orbit around its sun, does not mean it is capable of supporting life. Apparently, some exoplanets might have thick atmospheres, making it too hot on the surface. Furthermore, some exoplanets might be of the rocky variety, which could potentially harbor liquid water, the main ingredient for life.
"Some may have thick atmospheres, making it so hot at the surface that DNA-like molecules would not survive," according to Geoffrey Marcy from UC Berkeley. "Others may have rocky surfaces that could harbor liquid water suitable for living organisms. We don't know what range of planet types and their environments are suitable for life."
Unfortunately for the researchers, the Kepler spacecraft was crippled by technical problems this past spring, and was unable to continue its research mission. The researchers claim if this wasn't the case, the Kepler spacecraft would have been able to pick up enough data to directly detect some Earth-size planets in the habitable areas of G-type stars.
