17 billion more Earth-sized planets out there!

One of the things that just blows me away is what we know now-a-days about the universe. When I was a kid, I was taught that there are nine planets. Now, scientists estimate that there are at least fifteen billion! The photo above is an artist's depiction of

the variety of planets being detected by NASA's Kepler spacecraft. A new analysis has determined the frequencies of planets of all sizes, from Earths up to gas giants. Key findings include the fact that one in six stars hosts an Earth-sized planet in an orbit of 85 days or less, and that almost all sun-like stars have a planetary system of some sort. Credit: C. Pulliam & D. Aguilar (CfA) Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-stars-earth-sized-planet.html#jCp