Rocky planets, possibly with conditions suitable for life, may be more common than previously thought in our galaxy, a study has found.
New evidence suggests more than half the Sun-like stars in the Milky Way could have similar planetary systems.
There may also be hundreds of undiscovered worlds in outer parts of our Solar System, astronomers believe.
Future studies of such worlds will radically alter our understanding of how planets are formed, they say.
New findings about planets were presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston.
Nasa telescope
Michael Meyer, an astronomer from the University of Arizona, said he believes Earth-like planets are probably very common around Sun-like stars.
"Our observations suggest that between 20% and 60% of Sun-like stars have evidence for the formation of rocky planets not unlike the processes we think led to planet Earth," he said.
"That is very exciting."
Mr Meyer's team used the US space agency's Spitzer space telescope to look at groups of stars with masses similar to the Sun.
They detected discs of cosmic dust around stars in some of the youngest groups surveyed.
The dust is believed to be a by-product of rocky debris colliding and merging to form planets.
Nasa's Kepler mission to search for Earth-sized and smaller planets, due to be launched next year, is expected to reveal more clues about these distant undiscovered worlds.
Frozen worlds
Some astronomers believe there may be hundreds of small rocky bodies in the outer edges of our own Solar System, and perhaps even a handful of frozen Earth-sized worlds.
Speaking at the AAAS, Nasa's Alan Stern said he believes we have found only the tip of the iceberg in terms of planets within our own Solar System.
More than a thousand objects had already been discovered in the Kuiper belt alone, he said, many rivalling the planet Pluto in size.
"Our old view, that the Solar System had nine planets will be supplanted by a view that there are hundreds if not thousands of planets in our Solar System," he told BBC News.
He believes many of these planets will be icy, some will be rocky, and there may even be objects the same mass as Earth.
"It could be that there are objects of Earth mass in the oort cloud (a cloud surrounding our planetary system) but they would be frozen at these distances," Mr Stern added.
"They would look like a frozen Earth."
Goldilocks zone
Excitement about finding other Earth-like planets is driven by the idea that some might contain life or perhaps, centuries from now, allow human colonies to be set up on them.
The key to this search, said Debra Fischer of San Francisco State University, California, was the Goldilocks zone.
This refers to an area of space in which a planet is just the right distance from its parent star so that its surface is not-too-hot or not-too-cold to support liquid water.
"To my mind there are two things we have to go after; we have to find the right mass planet and it has to be at the right distance from the star," she said.
They detected discs of cosmic dust around stars in some of the youngest groups surveyed.
This little piece of information whilst not new news really was exciting, science had predicted the existence of this based on how our own solar system formed. Prity clear evidence that our view on how our own solar system formed is prity spot on.
Because they are blind. And stupid. And ignorant. And have their priorities all mixed up in a food blender. lol sorry
Funny, if I was to call your faith "blind stupid and ignorant" then the mods would remove it. Smacks of double standards if you ask me.
My point still stands, predicting a dust cloud orbiting a young star is based on our understanding of how the planets within our solar system formed "without" a creator.
I swear by the sun and its brilliance,
And the moon when it follows the sun,
And the day when it shows it,
And the night when it draws a veil over it,
And the heaven and Him Who made it,
And the earth and Him Who extended it,....
There's so much more but it seems clear to me the question is not how it all began but by the hand (or breath) of Whom? (It doesn't seem to be much a mystery...)
What I find so exciting is to think, as I read the bits of knowledge (we now know 'scientifically' to be true) that these 'clues' were given so long ago, before we could even dream of having the technology to 'prove' things.
That seems to be enough proof for me..
I can only imagine what else will be made clear given time...
(Everything else, I suppose.)
We should call righeouswomen the islamic newsreporter masshallah your threads are very interesting and educational and you also tell the world news here,b4 i even have time to read it on bbc or sky
We should call righeouswomen the islamic newsreporter masshallah your threads are very interesting and educational and you also tell the world news here,b4 i even have time to read it on bbc or sky
As Salaam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu
:X
Am I the Islamic Reporter? Thats would be great, Insha'Allah!
I swear by the sun and its brilliance,
And the moon when it follows the sun,
And the day when it shows it,
And the night when it draws a veil over it,
And the heaven and Him Who made it,
And the earth and Him Who extended it,....
There's so much more but it seems clear to me the question is not how it all began but by the hand (or breath) of Whom? (It doesn't seem to be much a mystery...)
What I find so exciting is to think, as I read the bits of knowledge (we now know 'scientifically' to be true) that these 'clues' were given so long ago, before we could even dream of having the technology to 'prove' things.
That seems to be enough proof for me..
I can only imagine what else will be made clear given time...
(Everything else, I suppose.)
Its a description what there is, not an explination. That and the night part is off as the nigh veils nothing. Its actually the reverse
I was thinking there are so many natural phenomena that are "described" acurately, and scientifically, before there could have been any way to accurately or scientifically describe........
He it is who created you from dust, from a small life- germ, then from a clot, then He brings you forth as a child....
Who made good everything that He has created, and He began the creation of man from dust.
Then He made his progeny of an extract, of water held in light estimation
Then He made him complete and breathed into him of His spirit, and made for you the ears and the eyes and the hearts; little is it that you give thanks.
How could they know, all that long long time ago, how the beginning of life grows and how we are made of a percentage of water and......oh so many of the other things...
I was thinking there are so many natural phenomena that are "described" acurately, and scientifically, before there could have been any way to accurately or scientifically describe........
He it is who created you from dust, from a small life- germ, then from a clot, then He brings you forth as a child....
Who made good everything that He has created, and He began the creation of man from dust.
Then He made his progeny of an extract, of water held in light estimation
Then He made him complete and breathed into him of His spirit, and made for you the ears and the eyes and the hearts; little is it that you give thanks.
How could they know, all that long long time ago, how the beginning of life grows and how we are made of a percentage of water and......oh so many of the other things...
Know what exactly? We werent poofed from dust, the word 'spirit' is extremely vague, and "making him complete" is simply wrong in terms of redundancies and genetic defects.
Just because a book says it knows what happened a long time ago, is not a good reason to take its word on it
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