Most Earth-Like Worlds Not Born Yet

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According to a new theoretical study, when our solar system was born 4.6 billion years ago only eight percent of the potentially habitable planets that will ever form in the universe existed. And, the party won’t be over when the sun burns out in another 6 billion years. The bulk of those planets — 92 percent — have yet to be born.

This conclusion is based on an assessment of data collected by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the prolific planet-hunting Kepler space observatory.

Please join +Tony Darnell Dr.+Carol Christian and +Scott Lewis as they discuss what this means for the future of exoplanets and the implications for finding life in the universe with the astronomers of the study.

Read more here:
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2015/35/full/

+NASANewHorizons has a KBO target:
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2014/10151024-finally-new-horizons-has-a-kbo.html

Hubble KBO Target candidates:
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2014/47/

#hubble #exoplanets #astronomy #cosmology

Tonight’s Sky: November 2015

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Backyard stargazers get a monthly guide to the northern hemisphere’s skywatching events with “Tonight’s Sky.” In November, the Leonid meteor shower promises around 40 meteors per hour.

“Tonight’s Sky” is produced by HubbleSite.org, online home of the Hubble Space Telescope. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes — and other astronomy videos — at HubbleSite.org.

Visit Tonight’s Sky on HubbleSite.
http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/tonights_sky