Scientists ranking potentially liveable planets place Earth in 73rd position

Scientists ranking planets in our universe based on the chances they could support intelligent life and provide a hospitable living environment, have placed Earth below one of Saturn’s moons in 73rd position.

Among the most habitable alien worlds were Saturn’s moon Titan and the exoplanet Gliese 581g – neither of which are said to have any reality television whatsoever.

“The first question we have to ask is whether living on these planets would as soul-destroying as it so often is here on Earth,” said co-author Dr Dirk Schulze-Makuch from Washington State University, US.

“For example, we already know that Gliese 581g doesn’t have a chain of Wetherspoons or anything called ‘Ryanair’. Which immediately puts it in the top twenty.

“And we’re pretty sure that on HD 69830d there has never been any mention whatsoever of Simon Cowell.”

Liveable planet survey

The planetary ranking algorithm made complex calculations weighing up factors such as a breathable atmosphere against whether or not James Blunt had ever had a number one album there.

Dr Schulze-Makuch went on, “People will say we’ve been pretty negative about the Earth, but there was a while there where it looked like it might not even make the top 100.

“But we tweaked the value associated with the likelihood of Paris Hilton being famous, and suddenly the Earth leapt to 73rd.

“Which if you take even a cursory look out of your window at the world around you is pretty good, all things considered.”

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