NASA: 1 Billion ‘Earths’ In Our Galaxy Alone

milky-way-galaxy

NASA estimates 1 billion ‘Earths’ in our galaxy alone (Washington Post, July 24, 2015):

There are a billion Earths in this galaxy, roughly speaking. Not a million. A billion. We’re talking 1 billion rocky planets that are approximately the size of the Earth and are orbiting familiar-looking yellow-sunshine stars in the orbital “habitable zone” where water could be liquid at the surface.

That’s a billion planets where human beings, or their genetically modified descendants, as well as their dogs and cats and tomato plants and crepe myrtle trees and ladybugs and earthworms and whatnot, could plausibly live.

The estimate comes from NASA scientist Natalie Batalha. Let’s go through some background information to see how she got to that number.

2 thoughts on “NASA: 1 Billion ‘Earths’ In Our Galaxy Alone”

  1. Gee, all they have to figure out is how to effectively move more of our species to one of them in time after we destroy our own living conditions.
    How long would it take to reach and colonize one?
    Maybe human-like other residents would not like our invasion???
    Oh, well, just take enough bombs………………………

    Reply
  2. We, people of the earth have to realize that we are one planet among billions of billions where there is possibly life. Just like in a tree yard where you can find rotten apples, hopely we are not a rotten apple who killed himself because of bad government and an indifferent human mass, who stopped thinking for itself. Ignace

    Reply

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