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A groundbreaking theoretical study titled "On The History and Future of Cosmic Planet Formation" [PDF] indicates that Earth had an early advantage in the cosmic timeline. Utilizing data from the Hubble telescope and the Kepler space observatory, NASA’s Space Telescope Science Institute astronomers have determined that 92% of Earth-like planets in the universe are yet to form.
An Earth-like planet is defined as one comparable in size to Earth and positioned at a distance from its star that allows liquid water to exist, potentially supporting life. During the formation of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago, Earth was among just 8% of the habitable planets that will ever exist. In six billion years, when the Sun exhausts its fuel and engulfs Earth, the universe’s story of life may still be in its early chapters.
This conclusion was reached by assembling a cosmic "family album" using Hubble telescope data, which chronicles the history of star formation in the universe. While stars formed rapidly 10 billion years ago, they consumed only a small fraction of the universe’s hydrogen and helium. Presently, star formation has slowed, leaving abundant gas reserves to fuel the creation of new stars and planets far into the future.
Researchers suggest that our galaxy contains approximately 1 billion Earth-sized planets, with a significant portion likely being rocky. This estimate skyrockets when considering the 100 billion other galaxies in the observable universe. Despite these staggering numbers, no evidence of extraterrestrial life—intelligent or otherwise—has been found, leading scientists to ponder, “Where is everybody?” According to this study, humanity emerged much earlier than most potential life forms in the universe. However, this doesn’t rule out the possibility of alien life existing concurrently, whether in distant galaxies or close to home.
