Are planets as common as stars in the universe?

Answer 1

Yes.....research has just begun and it strongly hints that planets may be just as common as stars. Some of the missing dark matter in the universe may be rogue planets that still exist after their parent stars have died out.

Answer 2

Probably a lot more common. It seems that planets naturally form as a star forms. So ther may be 5 to 10 times more planets than stars. I vote closer to 5 because there are many multiple star systems which would disrupt the formation of planets.

Answer 3

I guess that would depend on the distribution of "accretable matter". Planets do seem to be showing up, but before you get too impressed, think about it.

Most of the planets discovered so far (it was 251 at the end of May, so 288 is believable) are of unknown composition. But it is known that a whole lot of matter out there in the coldness of space is light-weight stuff -- hydrogen, methane, ammonia, etc. So, when these planets form up (accrete) around a star, it's a more common ocurrance because there's so much of the "stuff" floating around.

The heavier elements like iron, nickel, copper, etc., are the ones that stand the best chance of being massive enough to attract oxygen and nitrogen to their surfaces. And, due to the iron, more likely to build up a magnetosphere necessary to ward off stellar "winds", high-velocity, charged ion particles, capable of leeching off the components of a viable atmosphere.

Answer 4

Absolutely.
Each star that you see at night is just like our Sun and has the possibility of having from 0 to 10 (or more) planets with their associated moons orbiting around it.

Now there is an exception to what I just said...Some stars have formed into Binary configurations (Two stars circling each other at a very close distance), Trinary configurations (Three Stars circling each other at a very close distance), and Clusters (A Grouping of Stars circling each other at very close distance). Because of the confused gravitational pull of these kinds of star groupings I don't think that any of them will have planets orbiting around them. I think that the confused gravitational pull would have drawn any circling planets down into those Stars rather quickly over an extended time.

There are 200 Billion or more stars within the Milky Way Galaxy alone. So, there is a possibility for ten times that number of planets with/without moons out there circling those stars.

Outside of our Galaxy there are tens of thousands of other galaxies. Each one of those galaxies contain just billions of more stars. And, each of those stars could have their own planets orbiting around them.

Final answer: Yes. Planets are as common as stars, and, in fact, more numerous than stars.

Answer 5

I read last week that there have been 288 (I think that's the right number) planets discovered to date. They are mostly gas giants and some ice giants. It's beginning to look like they are going to be very common.