Crop of New Planets Means Better Chance of Life

Astronomers who've spotted 28 new planets in the past year are gaining confidence that other solar systems may be able to support life like ours. One researcher estimated that there are probably "tens of billions" of planets with habitable conditions, most important of which is hospitality to water.

"We are beginning to see that our home is not a rarity in the universe," said the astronomer who led the team, at a conference in Honolulu yesterday. But some watered exoplanets still may be a wash: The elliptical orbits of most other planets discovered so far would cause extreme temperature variations hostile to life. (More space stories.)