Earth-sized worlds much more common than giant planets

[anam_moon]

Nearly one in four stars like the Sun could have Earth-sized planets, according to a new estimate published in the journal Science.

Comments

[dicedork.livejournal.com]

I remember saying this 15 years ago in an astronomy class. If the planets congeal from the primordial soup in sizes that basically have to do with their distance from the heat of the sun, then shouldn't lots and lots and LOTS of sun-like stars have basically Earth-ish planets at roughly Earth-ish distance? My prof kinda looked like he'd caught me smacking his car with a giant carp and later asked me if I thought much about a career in science. (I think I said something about calculus giving me hives.)

This makes me very happy.