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There could be 10 billion habitable planets in the Milky Way, but most are too far away. Planets in a star’s “habitable zone” are the best candidates for supporting life. Nine Earth-like planets have been discovered, two in the habitable zone. Future telescopes may detect life-sustaining chemicals in distant planets’ atmospheres.
The number of habitable planets within the Milky Way galaxy could reach 10 billion. Of course, most of these planets are further away than current technology could transport us. The best candidates for planets that can support life are those within a star’s “habitable zone,” which means that the water on the planet can maintain a fairly stable liquid form. A planet too far from a star is too cold, leaving water in the form of ice; while planets closest to the habitable zone are too hot, meaning that water evaporates.
Planets that support life:
So far, at least nine other planets with Earth-like masses have been discovered in our galaxy, and two of them are in their star’s habitable zone.
There are over 100 billion stars in our galaxy, meaning 10% of the stars could support a habitable planet in its solar system.
Future developments in telescope technology should allow astronomers to directly observe light from distant planets to determine whether the chemicals needed to sustain life are present in their atmospheres.
