Habitable Planets facts
While investigating facts about Habitable Planets In Our Solar System and Habitable Planets Found, I found out little known, but curios details like:
Astronomers have recently discovered a potentially habitable planet just 16 light-years away from Earth
how many habitable planets are there?
Proxima Centauri released a flare visible from Earth, that scorched its “habitable” planet Proxima Centauri b, therefore eliminating any chance of habitability
What planets are in the habitable zone in our solar system?
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what planets are habitable. Here are 22 of the best facts about Habitable Planets Near Us and Habitable Planets Near Earth I managed to collect.
what habitable planets are there?
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The closest known potentially habitable Planet is 13 Light-Years away
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The closest star to our Sun, Proxima Centurai, has a potentially habitable planet in its orbit: Proxima B
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In 2013 astronomers reported, based on Kepler space mission data, that there could be as many as 40 billion Earth-sized planets orbiting in the habitable zones of stars in just our Milky Way galaxy alone.
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The brightest supernova we have ever witnessed had a kill radius of 500-1000 light years, meaning it would have sterilized millions of habitable planets.
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According to an astronomical study, approximately 92% of possible Earth like or habitable planets that will ever exist in the universe haven’t even formed yet.
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8.8 billion habitable Earth-size planets exist in Milky Way alone
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There could be as many as 40 billion Earth-sized planets orbiting in the habitable zones....
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There is a list of potentially habitable 'Earth Analog' exo-planets.
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An extrasolar planet called Cancri f in the Cancer constellation (around 41 lightyears away) is the only known planet outside our solar system which spends its entire orbit within it's stars habitable zone
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TRAPPIST-1 has 7 temperate terrestrial planets orbiting the its star, 5 of which are similar in size to Earth and 3 of which orbit within the habitable zone
Habitable Planets data charts
For your convenience take a look at Habitable Planets figures with stats and charts presented as graphic.
Why are habitable planets important?
You can easily fact check why is nasa constantly searching for habitable planets by examining the linked well-known sources.
An potentially habitable planet named Gliese 581 G was discovered, it is so close to its red dwarf star that only one side of it ever faces the star. This means that one side is in perpetual darkness.
When scientists are searching for planets that are possibly habitable, they will specifically look for ones that emit a green or purple light. - source
In super habitable planets, plants could look purple, oceans turquoise and skies pale blue - source
Queen's song "39", about space travelers setting out to find a new habitable planet but coming back to find the Earth has aged while they were gone, came out in November 1975. Interstellar, which has the same premise, came out November 2014, 39 years later.
Astronomers recently found water in a habitable super-Earth's atmosphere for the first time. Thanks to having water, a solid surface, and Earth-like temperatures, the lead author says "this planet [is] the best candidate for habitability that we know right now." - source
When habeas corpus can be suspended?
Astronomers found a super-Earth planet in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star, some 1,400 light-years away from us
How many habitable planets are there in the universe?
NASA's Kepler Discovers First Earth-Size Planet In The 'Habitable Zone' of Another Star
99% of the habitable space on this planet, is in the ocean
Even if 1% of 1% of the estimated 50 sextillion habitable Earth like planets in our universe actually contain intelligent life, it would still be 5 billion billion planets.
My opinion on scientist who only look for alien life similar to life on earth (they say the planets position in the habitable zone is a requirement), which I think is stupid and narrowminded, has a name.