15% of solar systems are similar to ours.

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In their quest to find solar systems analogous to ours, astronomers have determined how common our solar system is, concluding that about 15% of stars in the galaxy host systems of planets like our own, with several gas giant planets in the outer part of the solar system. "Now we know our place in the universe," announces Scott Gaudi, professor of astronomy at Ohio State University, Columbus. "Solar systems like our own are not rare, but we're not in the majority either."

The find comes from a worldwide collaboration headquartered at Ohio State called the Microlensing FolfewUp Network, which searches the sky for extrasolar planets. MicroFUN astronomers use a method called gravitational microlensing, which occurs when one star happens to cross in front of another as seen from Earth. The nearer star magnifies the light from...