The Search for Planets
de Grasse Tyson, Neil, Natural History
Want conclusive proof that planets exist in the universe? You are standing on one. But before you complain about what constitutes admissible evidence, consider that it's easier to find something for which you already have an example than to find something that is predicted solely by somebody's theory.
A pessimistic estimate for the number of planets in the universe is nine. A more realistic estimate is about one sextillion (one followed by twenty-one zeros). If, for some reason, you have a problem visualizing the magnitude of this number, consider that it's a million times larger than the total number of sounds and words ever uttered by all humans since the dawn of the species. …
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Publication information:
Article title: The Search for Planets.
Contributors: de Grasse Tyson, Neil - Author.
Magazine title: Natural History.
Volume: 106.
Issue: 9
Publication date: October 1997.
Page number: 86+.
© American Museum of Natural History Dec 2008/Jan 2009.
Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.
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