ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Space → Astronomy

Many Earth-Like Planets Haven’t Formed Yet

Where are all the Earth-like planets? Well, they haven't formed yet!

Dragos MitricabyDragos Mitrica
October 21, 2015
in Astronomy, Astrophysics, News
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

RelatedPosts

Centaurs break apart to get rings, astrophysicists now believe
Turning bullets into diamonds, finding brain activity in dead salmon, finding out why hair turns green, and others: the Ig Nobel prize
Farmlands in Europe may be the single largest reservoir of microplastics in the world
84% of American Vegetarians Relapse after one Year

Earth came up pretty early in the universal scheme of things. According to a new study, when our planet formed, 4.6 billion years ago, the Universe was still pretty young, and only eight percent of the potentially habitable planets that will ever form existed. The bulk of those planets, the remaining 92%, are yet to be born.

An artist’s impression of innumerable Earth-like planets that have yet to be born over the next trillion years in the evolving universe. Image credits: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI).

This quite innovative study was based on data collected by Hubble and the Kepler telescope. Peter Behroozi, who was the study author and works at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore said they wanted to see where Earth fits in the world’s history; are we among the forefathers, or are we the late bloomers?

“Our main motivation was understanding the Earth’s place in the context of the rest of the universe,” said study author Peter Behroozi, “Compared to all the planets that will ever form in the universe, the Earth is actually quite early.”

Astronomers basically tried to make a “family album” of early galaxies, in order to see how they emerged and developed. According to their calculations, in the early Universe, stars were forming quite fast 10 billion years ago, but there was little hydrogen and helium involved. Today, star birth is happening at a much slower rate, but there is so much leftover gas from previous processes, that stars (and subsequently, planets), will be forming for a long time.

“There is enough remaining material [after the big bang] to produce even more planets in the future, in the Milky Way and beyond,” added co-investigator Molly Peeples of STScI.

Scientists predict that there are, in total, 1 billion Earth-sized worlds in the Milky Way galaxy at present, a good portion of them presumed to be rocky. If you multiply that by the over 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe, the numbers get really big – but still, proportionally speaking, very few planets are Earth-like. This study would indicate that few Earth-like planets exist, because most of them haven’t formed yet. The results will appear in the October 20 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

ShareTweetShare
Dragos Mitrica

Dragos Mitrica

Dragos has been working in geology for six years, and loving every minute of it. Now, his more recent focus is on paleoclimate and climatic evolution, though in his spare time, he also dedicates a lot of time to chaos theory and complex systems.

Related Posts

Future

China Resurrected an Abandoned Soviet ‘Sea Monster’ That’s Part Airplane, Part Hovercraft

byTibi Puiu
9 hours ago
great white shark
Animals

This Shark Expert Has Spent Decades Studying Attacks and Says We’ve Been Afraid for the Wrong Reasons

byJordan Strickler
12 hours ago
Agriculture

A Rocket Carried Cannabis Seeds and 166 Human Remains into Space But Their Capsule Never Made It Back

byTudor Tarita
12 hours ago
News

Ancient ‘Zombie’ Fungus Trapped in Amber Shows Mind Control Began in the Age of the Dinosaurs

byMihai Andrei
12 hours ago

Recent news

China Resurrected an Abandoned Soviet ‘Sea Monster’ That’s Part Airplane, Part Hovercraft

June 30, 2025
great white shark

This Shark Expert Has Spent Decades Studying Attacks and Says We’ve Been Afraid for the Wrong Reasons

June 30, 2025

A Rocket Carried Cannabis Seeds and 166 Human Remains into Space But Their Capsule Never Made It Back

June 30, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.