On Average, Every Star Has At Least One Planet, New Analysis Shows

Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - 14:00 in Astronomy & Space

Gravitational Lensing This image of galaxy cluster MACS J1206.2-0847 shows the gravitational lensing effect of dark matter on distant galaxies. In a new exoplanet population paper, astronomers used microlensing to sense the presence of planets around other stars. The lensing was not as extreme as this, but works somewhat like a magnifying glass, brightening the light of a star lined up behind the planetary system. Space Telescope Science InstituteWhat are the implications for the search for extraterrestrial life? PopSci asks the experts Each star in the Milky Way shines its light upon at least one companion planet, according to a new analysis that suddenly renders exoplanets commonplace, the rule rather than the exception. This means there are billions of worlds just in our corner of the cosmos. This is a major shift from just a few years ago, when many scientists thought planets were tricky to make, and therefore special things....

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