The number of Earth-size planets 17 billion !

Planet like Earth are moving around at least one star among every six stars in the galaxy. According to this, the total number of Earth-sized planets in the galaxy are 17 billion as said by astronomers. BBC said that astronomers has analyzed the data obtaining from Kepler telescope of NASA which is the space research institute of USA. Their study found that planet, around one and half times of earth, are moving 17% of stars. Their annual pace is 85 days or more which is like the smallest planet in the solar system, Mercury. As to this there are at least one thousand seven hundred billion planets in the galaxy.

Kepler research team has informed that they have found more 461 new planets and so far the number of planets found by Kepler stood at 2740. At least 10 planets out of 461 planets are “habitable zone” where water can be found. This was informed in California by “American Astronomical Association” at its 221st meeting.

After being active in 2009, half a million stars in the certain part of the sky are observing by astronomers with Kepler and this is only one quarter out of four hundred quarter of galaxy area. When a planet passes through the light which comes in per minute from a star then it is called “Transit” of the planet. However, lots of planets still remain out of sight of Kepler as said by Frasoa Phresin who is researcher of 'Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He said, with a telescope, we can see only the planets which are beyond the capacity of Kepler, but there are lots of other planets in the galaxy. Phresin said that 9.5 percent planets are new which are found through Kepler and the rest planets are already known.