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Out of the total 50 billion planets, around 500 million are assumed to be placed in a key zone near their specific stars, which can also prove to be favorable for the sustenance of life. Revelation was made by the American Association This disclosure was made by the researchers at the annual meeting of the American Association, for the Advancement of Science. The scientists revealed that the estimate was made after examining a small portion of the sky, with the help of Kepler. On the basis of that, the researchers inferred about the number of planets which could be present in the galaxy. In an announcement made by NASA in the beginning of this month, it informed about the discovery of 1,235 planet candidates by the researchers, out of which 68 planets were found to be similar to the size of the Earth. These 68 planets are assumed to revolve around more than 156,000 stars. Kepler mission aims to discover earth-like planets in Milky Way galaxy The main purpose of the Kepler mission is to ascertain other Earth-like planets, located in the Milky Way galaxy. However, the main focus would be on those planets which are capable of harboring life. These planets are assumed to be most probably situated in a zone called 'Goldilocks' zone by the scientists, which is neither too hot nor too cold and thus suitable for the sustenance of life. The Kepler space telescope which was launched in 2009 is magnificently modified to identify the Earth-sized planets, revolving around distant stars. A total of 590- million-dollars will be spent in this telescope program, which will take around three and a half years to complete the explorations. This program will emphasize on the huge band of the Milky Way galaxy, which encompasses about 4.5 million stars. In a prelaunch press briefing, the scientists revealed that the most innovative cameras used in space till now, have focused on 100,000 to 150,000 stars with orbiting planets. For more information check out NASA
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