Earth like planets should be quite common in the universe

Earth like planets should be quite common in the universe:















The common mantra that there is nothing special about our place in the universe is questioned today by a simulation of the birth of our Solar System.

• Cosmos may be teeming with alien worlds
• Stephen Hawking: Aliens probably exist
• 'Revolutionary' new technique aims to find Earth-like planets

The prevailing theoretical models attempting to explain its origins have assumed it to be average in every way.

Now a new study by Northwestern University astronomers, using recent data from the 300 planets discovered orbiting other stars, turns that view on its head.

"These other planetary systems don't look like the solar system at all," said Prof Frederic Rasio, senior author of a study in the journal Science.

However, it does suggest that Goldilocks planets such as Earth, which are not too hot and not too cold for life to thrive, could still be common.

The study illustrates that if early conditions had been just slightly different, very unpleasant things could have happened - like planets being thrown into the sun or jettisoned into deep space.

However, the good news is that it does not seem to make life less likely elsewhere in the cosmos, adds coauthor Prof Edward Thommes of the University of Guelph, Canada: "By themselves, rocky terrestrial planets like the Earth grow very readily; they basically sprout like mushrooms under almost any conditions, we think. So, Earths should be quite common throughout the universe.