Exoplanets are surprisingly common. There is a 50% chance for any sun-like star that it has at least one planet orbiting it.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not enough data
• D. Only around certain stars

Answer: (A)

Exoplanets are common. Observations from missions like Kepler and from radial-velocity surveys show that many sun-like stars host at least one planet, and multi-planet systems are common as well. Even though detection methods favor larger planets closer to the star, the broad pattern is clear: planets are not rare around sun-like stars. Estimates of how often a sun-like star has at least one planet fall well above rare; a substantial fraction—often represented as about half or more depending on which planets you count and how far out you look—have planets. So saying there’s roughly a 50% chance that a sun-like star has at least one planet is a reasonable, widely used simplification that reflects the abundant observational evidence.