Report says most stars in galaxy have planets in habitable zone

Yakima Herald Republic ^ | March 22, 2015 | Rachel Feltman, Washington Post

[SunkenCiv]

For a planet to have liquid water -- something necessary to support life as we know it -- it has to be within a certain distance of its star. Too close, and the water burns up. Too far away, and it's a frozen wasteland. But according to new research, most stars in the galaxy have so-called "Goldilocks planets," which sit in the habitable zone, where temperatures are just right for life...

The calculations, which were produced by a group of researchers from the Australian National University and the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, are based on a method called the Titius-Bode law. This law, which was created around 1770, predicts how planets in a solar system will be spaced out. The researchers applied the law to the 1,000 exoplanets (and 3,000 possible exoplanets) found by NASA's Kepler satellite. They looked at 151 planetary systems -- ones where Kepler had detected between three and six planets -- and found that the Titius-Bode law fit well with the way 124 of them were spaced out...

Once those planets were added, all 151 systems showed one to three planets in their habitable zone. The researchers believe this indicates that most systems do have planets orbiting at the proper distance to hold liquid water.

To help confirm their theory, they've flagged a number of supposed Goldilocks planets that Kepler should be able to see at some point. They hope that other scientists will spot them, adding weight to the "missing planets" they've calculated.

Unfortunately, being in the habitable zone doesn't mean that liquid water is present -- and the presence of liquid water doesn't necessarily mean that life ever can, will, or did exist. But here's to hoping.

[GeronL]

Sounds like an idea to spawn a million scenarios

[JimSEA]

By what. We can’t begin to tell just yet. Uninhibited is a large assertion.

[SunkenCiv]

What’s the link for that online planetary system simulator game? Thanks!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for letting us in on your psychic powers.

[GeronL]

I managed to crash my laptop trying to figure out how to use that

[GeronL]

I do not think it qualifies as a game. Cool though. For a game, try Kerbal Space Program

[mikrofon]

Sounds like an idea to spawn a million scenarios

And a few Sci-Fi shows ...

[minnesota_bound]

#14 Einstein didn’t have the “time” to figure it out....

[DCBryan1]

All stars have a “habitable zone”. The trouble is that there just may not be a planet in a stable orbit within that zone with the right geology and atmospherics.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for self-identifying as a psychic.

[JimRed]

The calculations, which were produced by a group of researchers from the Australian National University and the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, are based on a method called the Titius-Bode law.

Calculations? Like the ones used to "prove" human-caused globlal warming? Color me skeptical but hopeful.

[SunkenCiv]

Titius-Bode is a mnemonic, at best, IMHO.