- July 25, 2010 NASA's Deep Space Camera Locates Host of 'Earths' Scientists celebrated Sunday after finding more than 700 suspected new planets -- including up to 140 similar in size to Earth -- in just six weeks of using a powerful new space observatory. Scientists celebrated Sunday after finding more than 700 suspected new planets -- including up to 140 similar in size to Earth -- in just six weeks of using a powerful new space _observatory_ (http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/07/25/nasas-deep-space-camera-locates-host-earths/print#) . Early results from NASA’s Kepler Mission, a small satellite observing deep space, suggested planets like Earth were far more common than previously thought. Past discoveries suggested most planets outside our solar system were gas _giants_ (http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/07/25/nasas-deep-space-camera-locates-host-earths/print#) such as Jupiter and Saturn -- but the new evidence tipped the balance in favor of solid worlds. Astronomers said the discovery meant the chances of eventually finding truly Earth-like planets capable of sustaining life rose sharply. NASA so far formally announced only five new exoplanets -- those outside our solar system -- from the mission because its scientists were still analyzing Kepler’s finds to confirm they are actually planets. “The figures suggest our galaxy, the _Milky Way_ (http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/07/25/nasas-deep-space-camera-locates-host-earths/print#) [which has more than 100 billion stars] will contain 100 million habitable planets, and soon we will be identifying the first of them,” said Dimitar Sasselov, professor of astronomy at Harvard University and a scientist on the Kepler Mission. "There is a lot more work we need to do with this, but the statistical result is loud and clear, and it is that planets like our own Earth are out there." -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
