"Trillions" of Earths orbit red stars in older galaxies

[Conservative,]

Astronomers say the Universe may contain three times the number of stars as is currently thought.

Their assessment is based on new observations showing other galaxies may have very different structures to our Milky Way galaxy.

The researchers tell the journal Nature that more stars probably means many more planets as well - perhaps "trillions" of Earth-like worlds.

The Yale University-led study used the Keck telescope in Hawaii.


Red dwarfs are smaller and dimmer than our own Sun; it is only recently that telescopes have been powerful enough to detect them.

According to Yale's Professor Pieter van Dokkum, who led the research, the discovery also increases the estimate for the number of planets in the Universe and therefore greatly increases the likelihood of life existing elsewhere in the cosmos.

"There are possibly trillions of Earths orbiting these stars," he said. "Red dwarfs are typically more than 10 billion years old and so have been around long enough for complex life to evolve on planets around them. It's one reason why people are interested in this type of star."


Two-thirds of the observable Universe consists of spiral galaxies (L) like our own Milky Way. The remainder is made up of older elliptical galaxies (R)
The findings also help to account for what astronomers describe as the "missing mass" in the Universe.

The movement of galaxies suggests there is more material in the cosmos than can be observed, so scientists have suggested that some is invisible, referring to it as "dark matter".

Dr Marek Kukula of the Royal Observatory Greenwich (ROG), UK, said: "the discovery of more stars in the Universe means that we might not need quite as much dark matter as we thought to explain how the Universe looks and behaves.

"It also tells us something about how the very first galaxies must have formed from the gas left over from the Big Bang."

And the ROG's Dr Robert Massey added: "Finding red dwarfs in other galaxies is quite something and shows how far we've come with the latest generation of large telescopes.

"If these stars are more common in elliptical galaxies than in our own, it's also consistent with the idea that they have a larger number of older stars than us. The lifespan of red dwarfs is many times longer than that of stars like our Sun."

Wow...if this is true...then who knows? So many possibilities could arise from this.

[Eoin247]

I've always believed that we're not alone out there. I suppose the question really is when we'll encounter extra-terestrial life rather than if.

[Conservative,]

I've always believed that we're not alone out there. I suppose the question really is when we'll encounter extra-terestrial life rather than if.

Yup. I believe that there is some kind of other life out there. it'd be awesome to meet someone made from anti-matter. Too bad we'd destroy them as soon as we touched

But yeah it'd be cool...as long as they didn't kill us...to meet aliens. Who knows, maybe they'll even just look like normal humans?

[Eoin247]

Yup. I believe that there is some kind of other life out there. it'd be awesome to meet someone made from anti-matter. Too bad we'd destroy them as soon as we touched

But yeah it'd be cool...as long as they didn't kill us...to meet aliens. Who knows, maybe they'll even just look like normal humans?

Yeah i'd say that inteligent life would have a simular enough body structure to ours.

Maybe in my life, maybe in my great grandsons, but we will find life.

[Conservative,]

Yeah i'd say that inteligent life would have a simular enough body structure to ours.

Maybe in my life, maybe in my great grandsons, but we will find life.

I would love to live to see Human & Alien interaction.

[Wig44.]

I would love to live to see Human & Alien interaction.

I wouldn't.

If we met aliens either we would enslave them as an under-class or they would do the same to us. Just look at the history of the 'civilised' human race.

[Conservative,]

I wouldn't.

If we met aliens either we would enslave them as an under-class or they would do the same to us. Just look at the history of the 'civilised' human race.

Who says there are not aliens now, integrating into everyday life? Hmm..? We don't know what would happen. If I'm honest if the politicians of the time had any sense they'd come to a peace agreement with the extra terrestrials.

[Stephen]

if an alien was found they would be killed and experimented on tbh and if more were found

then obama would do a little speech saying "We come in peace, we do not want to harm your species" and then the next thing you know, a hand is crawling all over him, kills him, he falls down and a little alien flag spouts from his body with the alien's flag colours painted on.

Then people calling the aliens griggers (racism towards aliens) will cause war of the worlds

[Neversoft]

Who says there are not aliens now, integrating into everyday life? Hmm..?

I think you've been watching too much Men in Black.

[Conservative,]

if an alien was found they would be killed and experimented on tbh and if more were found

then obama would do a little speech saying "We come in peace, we do not want to harm your species" and then the next thing you know, a hand is crawling all over him, kills him, he falls down and a little alien flag spouts from his body with the alien's flag colours painted on.

Then people calling the aliens griggers (racism towards aliens) will cause war of the worlds

Tbh I think sadly you're right :/

And lol neversoft I haven't seen MiB crime I know.