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Astronomers Estimate Milky Way May Have 100 Billion Alien Worlds

Posted by samzenpus on from the that's-a-lot-of-away-missions dept.

astroengine writes "Last year, using the exoplanets discovered by the Kepler space telescope as a guide, astronomers took a statistical stab at estimating the number of exoplanets that exist in our galaxy. They came up with at least 50 billion alien worlds. Today, astronomers from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Md., and the PLANET (Probing Lensing Anomalies NETwork) collaboration have taken their own stab at the 'galactic exo-planetary estimate' and think there are at least 100 billion worlds knocking around the Milky Way."

17 of 294 comments (clear)

  1. Sweet by jhoegl · · Score: 5, Funny

    Then statistically tell me which planet has Amazonian Women, hot green chicks, and Galactic Girls Gone Wild.
    No tentacle monsters though, they will take all our womens!

    1. Re:Sweet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      No tentacle monsters though, they will take all our womens!

      Only the Japanese ones.

    2. Re:Sweet by Nidi62 · · Score: 5, Funny

      You just want death by snu snu

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    3. Re:Sweet by tenaciousj · · Score: 5, Funny

      Unfortunately, the probability of you finding one of those just went from 1:50 billion to 1:100 billion.

    4. Re:Sweet by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 4, Funny

      You just want death by snu snu

      Do you blame him? Without a partner, he's just having snu.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  2. This Universe Sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why couldn't I be born to a universe with a less restrictive set of physical laws?!

    1. Re:This Universe Sucks by symbolset · · Score: 5, Funny

      You were. You just don't know it yet.

      --
      Help stamp out iliturcy.
  3. Just a factor of 2? by chrism238 · · Score: 4, Funny

    50 billion here, 100 billion there. Pretty soon you're talking big numbers.

  4. Re:100 billion likely way too low by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fortunately, most of the Earth-like planets in the Milky Way seem to have stargates on them, so exploring those would be relatively easy.

  5. Re:Drake equation++ by giorgist · · Score: 5, Funny

    So you went out on your first date, don't be so dramatic.

  6. Re:Like Pluto? by cas2000 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Disney sued them for copyright infringement. That's why they had to stop calling Pluto a planet.

  7. Re:100 billion likely way too low by NotQuiteReal · · Score: 5, Funny

    It doesn't matter, in your lifetime.

    To make a car analogy, for the Slashdot crowd; It is like a bunch of hot chicks driving cool cars, you know they exist, but you will never touch them. Just try to keep your basement tidy, since that is where you have to live. If a '61 'vette drives thru the storm doors, you might get lucky.

    --
    This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
  8. Re:redundant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We are the 0.0000001%...

  9. Re:redundant by Tsingi · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think he's trying to say that its not necessary to say alien worlds, just say worlds.

    If you just say worlds you have to say a billion and one. That's two extra words.

  10. Re:100 billion likely way too low by Belial6 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Best car analogy ever.

  11. Re:redundant by Black+Parrot · · Score: 4, Funny

    aren't all worlds, not our own, alien?

    Yea, so 100,000,000,001 is total.

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  12. 640 Billion by flyingfsck · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, 640 billion should be enough for anybody...

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!