how many earth like planets around sunlike stars?

[notFritzArgelander]

https://phys.org/news/2019-08-earth-lik ... stars.html

[helicon]

The results of this study are particularly relevant for planning future space missions to characterize potentially Earth-like planets. While the Kepler mission discovered thousands of small planets, most are so far away that it is difficult for astronomers to learn details about their composition and atmospheres.

Quite a range notFritz! From 1 in tens to 1 in 4. According to this new research it appears earth-like planets may be more common than previously thought.

[GCoyote]

However, we are learning from studies about the formation of the Earth-Moon system that an appropriate mass and a Goldilocks orbit will likely be insufficient to yield a truly "Earth like" environment for life. Still, this is a necessary next step.

[notFritzArgelander]

However, we are learning from studies about the formation of the Earth-Moon system that an appropriate mass and a Goldilocks orbit will likely be insufficient to yield a truly "Earth like" environment for life. Still, this is a necessary next step.

Agreed.

[OBXgirl]

I do a Program on Kepler, TESS, JWST and WFIRST. It's an exciting time, with each mission honing in and narrowing the field in each subsequent study. I think it's brilliant that each Mission allows some wiggle room for findings from new studies in various disciplines to enrich the data being returned. Finding systems like Trappist1 was a game changer, and with TESS halfway through it's Mission, the data it's sending back is changing scientific concepts constantly.

Are we going to find anything close to home, with a system similar to ours, with planets in the habitable zone? Not likely. I think Fermi's Paradox is correct, but will we find a world we can travel to? Not in our lifetime, so it's kind of a moot point.
If nothing else, I find it fascinating how the same elements can come together in so many different ways.
I want someone to figure out how Ice 7 works, or explain it to me if anyone knows.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert, but know just enough to get me in trouble.

[notFritzArgelander]

Are we going to find anything close to home, with a system similar to ours, with planets in the habitable zone? Not likely. I think Fermi's Paradox is correct, but will we find a world we can travel to? Not in our lifetime, so it's kind of a moot point.
If nothing else, I find it fascinating how the same elements can come together in so many different ways.

Understanding the universe better is reward enough I think.

I want someone to figure out how Ice 7 works, or explain it to me if anyone knows.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert, but know just enough to get me in trouble.

Ice VII is tricky to explain. The complication is that the peculiar nature of the water molecule (it's an electric dipole with the negative charges clustered around the O and the positive charges away from it, near the Hs) allows it to arrange itself in many different crystal structures. Which crystal structure is preferred depends on temperature and pressure (or equivalently density). There are in fact 16 known different crystal structures seen in labs for ice so far all denoted by roman numerals, Ice I, Ice II, .... Ice XVI.

At different pressures the electric dipole nature of water permits different crystal structures that minimize the energy of the crystal. Without that complicated charge separation in the molecule the richness of possible crystal structures just wouldn't happen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_VII

That electric dipoles can pack themselves differently at different densities/pressures is the trick to making many structures possible.

[OBXgirl]

nFA,
Thanks, that's the best explanation yet...your time is appreciated. Gliese 436 b is one of my favorite Exoplanets and it's believed that Ice7 forms its core. It's known to have extreme gravity, hence why the water world , stays a water world. It makes sense to me now that it would have a solid water core, without cold temperatures. Now it makes so much sense that I am questioning why I was stumbling to put the pieces together.

Sincere thanks for the illuminating answer.

[GCoyote]

The moment of "illumination" is the small unit of joy that differentiates those who enjoy learning and science from those who don't.