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Icy, Earth-like Worlds May Be Rare

Hundreds of thousands of simulations show few possible exoplanets with climate conditions like ours.

By Joshua Rapp Learn
Feb 25, 2022 1:55 PMFeb 25, 2022 1:53 PM
Antarctic from space
(Credit: MarcelClemens/Shutterstock)

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Humans have long looked to the sky and wondered how many Earth-like worlds were out there. Thanks to powerful telescopes developed in recent years, both professional and amateur astronomers have discovered a plethora of planets orbiting other stars. In the three decades since the first confirmed exoplanet, they’ve indexed more than 4,000 — many of which sit at similar distances from their stars.


Read More: NASA’s Exoplanet-Hunting Space Telescope Needs Your Help Finding New Worlds

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