Planets in the universe: an overview

The question of how many planets there are in the universe is one that drives many scientists, researchers and space enthusiasts. But there is no exact answer

Planets in the universe: an unknown number

Planets are among the objects that cavort in the universe. Some (amateur) researchers have already asked themselves how many there are. The answer is unknown or very broadly defined.

• The fact is that only a small percentage (in the single-digit range) of the universe has been explored. In this known proportion, around 5,000 planets have been detected

• According to estimates, our galaxy alone could contain around 160 billion planets. So it seems almost impossible to put a figure on the entire universe. In this case, humanity will probably have to be satisfied with a very general answer: very, very many.

• At least more is known about our solar system. Eight planets orbit our sun. In addition to the Earth, these are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

• Pluto, which was previously also referred to as a planet, has now been “demoted” to a dwarf planet.

• In addition to the planets and the dwarf planet, other objects such as moons, asteroids and comets also move around in our solar system.

• In addition to our solar system, there are many billions of other solar systems, which in turn include an unknown number of planets.