Study suggests every star likely has planets.

El Mahdi · Jan 12, 2012

Every star twinkling in the night sky plays host to at least one planet, a new study suggests. That implies there are some 10 billion Earth-sized planets in our galaxy. Using a technique called gravitational microlensing, an international team found a handful of exoplanets that imply the existence of billions more.

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/every-star-has-planets-study-finds-1326336349-slideshow/;_ylt=AiOFUWzk8JwUaG8HrsFPnBGr9HQA;_ylu=X3oDMTRjZ2VwdGI1BG1pdANMYXRlc3QgU2xpZGVzaG93cyBGZWF0dXJlZARwa2cDNzlmOTVmY2MtMTY1My0zMzJmLThkNDMtYzJlNWRiM2E3YjBjBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNNZWRpYUZlYXR1cmVkTGlzdAR2ZXIDODk5MDk0NzQtM2NjNy0xMWUxLWFjMzctNzhlN2QxNWUzMWFj;_ylg=X3oDMTJxa3M2MXB2BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDNDgzYmU5NGMtZmY5YS0zYjM0LTlkNTItYjIzYzQ3ZDFkM2FkBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc3MtZ2FsbGVyeQR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3#crsl=%252Fphotos%252Fevery-star-has-planets-study-finds-1326336349-slideshow%252Fartists-impression-shows-common-planets-around-stars-milky-photo-193055990.html

Dannyalcatraz · Jan 12, 2012

Here comes the neighborhood!

Kaodi · Jan 12, 2012

I would think that this would be the obvious conclusion with what we now know about star formation. Or rather it should at least be obvious that every star should have had planets at some point, even if it later ate or exiled them.

Sutekh · Jan 12, 2012

More Planets = more chance of invaders!

Janx · Jan 12, 2012

Lucklily, except for the few that are close, most are so far away that our radio signals have not reached them.

This means, they have not identified us. Which in turns means it hasn't singled our system out as a place to go invade.

Assuming hostile aliens have reallty good FTL, we are just one star in zillions. So the SpaceBullies are unlikely to just happen to come across us to pick on us.

So, while Steven Hawking has a point about "hey, don't be so sure about how awesome it could be to discover alien life". The chances of alien life finding us is as of yet, fairly slim.

As to why SpaceBullies is a concern, compare the situation to Chris Columbus. Sailed the ocean blue, and found a big arsed region of the map with people who were technology inferior. Europe won and the indigenous population lost.

Imagine if the Indians had been just as technologically advanced or more so. What if they too were about to launch some ships to go east, to find an easier route to Baja California?

This is the big worry. We got lucky with the Indians. No offense to the natives that we trampled on and took over, but it worked out for us. We should not be so cocky thinking that space is going to be the same thing, except with green natives.

Dannyalcatraz · Jan 12, 2012

Greg Bear has some nice...errrr...well written stories about interplanetary wolves that go after Pre-star faring humanity.

Janx · Jan 12, 2012

this news should increase the odds that alien life exists.

let's assume that if alien life exists, it probably starts on a planet.

Previously, it was asssumed most stars did not have planets.

Now that that's reversed, a galaxy with billions of stars equals nearly billions of chances for life.

There will still be plenty of stars that don't have the right planets. the % chance for a given star to have the right planet is probably the same.

But now the number of stars that get that chance went up.

though statistically, this may be one of those math fallacy things (the odds of a 6 showing up on a 1d6 is the same as using 2d6). More chances opportunities doesn't actually improve the overall odds.

Kzach · Jan 12, 2012

But, but... our ELECTRICITY is in DANGER of being TAKEN by ORANGE lightning life forms!

Or was it our brains by the eye-hypnotising infecting aliens?

No, maybe it was the water mechs?

Prawns?

I'm so confused. NEED MOAR ALUMINIUM!

Joker · Jan 12, 2012

We should be fine as long as the aliens use an operating system compatible with ours.

Or drink our water.

Or recognize our humanity and give us a second chance.

Or if have Slim Whitman on our playlist.

Or if they get tangled up with other aliens.

Or if we have lots of "Boom" "Rawr" "Explosions" "Pretty girl in foreground, action in slow motion" "Crash"

Or if Christopher Reeve comes back from the dead.

Or if we have a mute theoretical physicist who happens to be in a HEV suit with a crowbar when the aliens invade.

Yeah, no worries ladies and gents. We're good.

Morrus · Jan 13, 2012

Janx said:
though statistically, this may be one of those math fallacy things (the odds of a 6 showing up on a 1d6 is the same as using 2d6). More chances opportunities doesn't actually improve the overall odds.

Of course it does.

If you rolled 1000000 d6s, the odds of getting a 6 aren't 1 in 6. That would imply that 5 times out of six you would get no sixes at all, which is clearly silly.