Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Pump Up The Volume: Big Fat Transiting Planet Discovered

Big Fat Planets selection effect

I think it's important to keep reminding ourselves that the kinds of exoplanets we've been discovering are not necessarily representative of exoplanets in general. Big planets orbiting close to small stars are easier to detect with our current methods, so we are seeing a lot of them, but they are not necessarily in the majority. It may very well turn out that small rocky planets orbiting sunlike stars, similar to the earth/sol system, are very common.

The conclusion we can draw from these observations is that planets may be much more common than we once thought, and rather than a rare occurence, may be a normal by-product of the star formation process.

Log in or register to post.

The whole thread (6 posts)