But Orion's hostile environment is seen as typical of star-forming regions across the Milky Way galaxy, home to our solar system. Earth, the eight other planets and numerous moons and other objects formed around the Sun 4.5 billion years ago. Which one wins is really a big question. Depending on whether or not they can form quickly before being obliterated, planets may be rarer in the Milky Way than previously thought, the researchers said. That equation could affect the potential prevalence of life in the universe.
Planets are the abodes of life.
Bally said 10 percent of stars may have planets orbiting around them. Bally said that in active star nurseries like Orion, large and powerful type O or type B stars make planetary formation around smaller, sun-like stars difficult. He said ultraviolet light comes streaming off the large stars like a blowtorch, evaporating the gases and removing the dust from the dust rings around the smaller stars that could give rise to planets. Bally said so-called rocky planets like Earth may be able to form in Orion, but doubted whether giant gaseous planets like Jupiter and Saturn could survive the birthing process. Hubble was used to look at the dust rings surrounding stars in Orion in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths of light.