Quote:
Originally Posted by renormalised
What can be said from this is that if the numbers stack up, there are a mind bogglingly large number of planets in our galaxy. Even if only 1 in 100 (or 1 in 1000, 1 in 10^6) of them were habitable, it would still be a huge number of habitable planets present in our galaxy. More than you could count in a lifetime.
|
Well … the Kepler discoveries are still exoplanet
'candidates'. When a 'reasonable' number have become 'validated' or 'confirmed', I'd say it has then become legitimate to use the definitive term,
'are'. (Admittedly, I don't know what that number might be, mind you).
The guys who wrote the report, have been diligent in their use of the term 'candidate' exoplanet, presumably, for this reason. (Not so in the media reports etc).
The rest of what you say, could've just as easily been said before the Kepler discovery and is still speculation.
Cheers