[Bioman]

Super Earth Discovered
A team from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) says that they have discovered a "super-Earth". Five times the size of Earth, it is believed to be one of the of the most intriguing worlds so far in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Astronomers reported on Wednesday they had discovered a "super-Earth" more than 20 light years away that is the most intriguing world found so far in the search for extraterrestrial life.

About five times the mass of Earth, the planet orbits a cool, dim "red dwarf" star located in the constellation of Libra, the team from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) said in a press release.

The star, Gliese 581, has already been identified as hosting a planet similar in size to Neptune, the frigid gas giant on the edge of our own Solar System.

The new planet is 14 times closer to Gliese 581 than the Earth is to the Sun. But because Gliese 581 is so cool, the planet is not scorched by solar radiation. It zips around the star at express speed, making just 13 days to complete an orbit.

"We have estimated that the mean temperature of this super-Earth lies between 0 and 40 degrees Celsius (32 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit), and water would thus be liquid," said lead researcher Stephane Udry of Switzerland's Geneva University.

"Moreover, its radius should be only 1.5 times the Earth's radius, and models predict that the planet should be either rocky -- like our Earth -- or covered with oceans."

"Liquid water is critical to life as we know it," said Xavier Delfosse, a team member from France's Grenoble University.

"Because of its temperature and relative proximity, this planet will most probably be a very important target of the future space missions dedicated to the search for extra terrestrial life.

He added: "On the treasure map of the Universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X."

More:
http://www.france24.com/france24Public/ ... earth.html


This is so fascinating!!

I can't wait to emigrate.

If this Earth-like planet is so close to our own, who knows how many other liveable or already inhabited Earth's there are! I want to believe there are billions out there. The more Life, the more Happiness!!!



EDIT: the poll option "none" disappeared?

[cynicalheretic]

Well apparently they are grammer experts.

A team from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) says that they have discovered a "super-Earth". Five times the size of Earth, it is believed to be one of the of the most intriguing world so far in the search for extraterrestrial life.

[emersonbiggins]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cynicalheretic', 'W')ell apparently they are grammer experts.

[hubbertspeak7777777]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Bioman', '[')b]Super Earth Discovered
A team from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) says that they have discovered a "super-Earth". Five times the size of Earth, it is believed to be one of the of the most intriguing worlds so far in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Astronomers reported on Wednesday they had discovered a "super-Earth" more than 20 light years away that is the most intriguing world found so far in the search for extraterrestrial life.

About five times the mass of Earth, the planet orbits a cool, dim "red dwarf" star located in the constellation of Libra, the team from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) said in a press release.

The star, Gliese 581, has already been identified as hosting a planet similar in size to Neptune, the frigid gas giant on the edge of our own Solar System.

The new planet is 14 times closer to Gliese 581 than the Earth is to the Sun. But because Gliese 581 is so cool, the planet is not scorched by solar radiation. It zips around the star at express speed, making just 13 days to complete an orbit.

"We have estimated that the mean temperature of this super-Earth lies between 0 and 40 degrees Celsius (32 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit), and water would thus be liquid," said lead researcher Stephane Udry of Switzerland's Geneva University.

"Moreover, its radius should be only 1.5 times the Earth's radius, and models predict that the planet should be either rocky -- like our Earth -- or covered with oceans."

"Liquid water is critical to life as we know it," said Xavier Delfosse, a team member from France's Grenoble University.

"Because of its temperature and relative proximity, this planet will most probably be a very important target of the future space missions dedicated to the search for extra terrestrial life.

He added: "On the treasure map of the Universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X."

More:
http://www.france24.com/france24Public/ ... earth.html


This is so fascinating!!

I can't wait to emigrate.

If this Earth-like planet is so close to our own, who knows how many other liveable or already inhabited Earth's there are! I want to believe there are billions out there. The more Life, the more Happiness!!!



EDIT: the poll option "none" disappeared?

[Armageddon]

Beam me up Scotty

[emersonbiggins]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hubbertspeak7777777', '
')Well, if you wanna go, they're gonna have to pick you up because it would take millions of years for us to go there. It's 20 light years away! One light year is around 5.8 trillion miles. Twenty light years would be around 120 trillion miles... that trip would take millions of years with the current technology we have.

[gampy]

The gravity would be uncomfortable.
Although anyone who stepped onto that world would not be born on Earth, so...

But it is a nice thought that earth-like worlds exist out there. It gives me a nice feeling that even if (when) we destroy this biosphere, there are others (hopefully) that are safe from us. Puts things into perspective, really. In the grand scheme of things, peak-oil and our insignificant little lives are just a tiny spec, on a tiny spec on a thread in the fabric of the universe.

It's nice to feel so small, occasionally. Good for the spirit.

Fascinating, Captain.

[perdition79]

So when does Big Oil begin 4-D seismography on this new planet?

[Battle_Scarred_Galactico]

First thing, it needs a better name than 'Earth 2', thats' just shit.

Second, if this is true its' the biggest find ever, proving we aren't special.

I really hope this is true, it gives me a good feeling.

[Ebyss]

Lets get our own planet sorted out before we go ruining another one. Particularly if there's already life on it.

Earthling: "Hi, can I come live on your planet with you guys? My old place is a shithole 'cause we completely raped it. I think we should re-name this place "Earth 2", is that cool with you?"

Native Earth2ling: "Not really"

Earthling: "Whatever.. hey! Is that oil?"

Native Earth2ling: "Get off our planet".

[MD]

Last I checked, the best we could do was detect either distortion in a star due to tidal forces or a wiggle in its image due to same.

This means all we can currently resolve are fairly large orbiting pairs.

Since all we can see are large planets orbiting fairly close to their stars, then of course the first time someone finds one circling a cool star they will wave their hands and shout: "Look here! Look here! We've got one with the right parameters! There could be life here!"

That's a lovely thought, but I'm more inclined to assume countless millions of earth-sized bodies orbiting sun-sized stars out there.

The hundred dollar question: How important is the moon? Does life exist on earth without the large satellite?

If not, then I think it safe to assume that life-bearing candidates are very few and far between; maybe even only a couple per galaxy. Could be Asimov was right. Galactic empire, here we come!

We'd better get busy on the fusion drive though, time's-a-wastin'!

[jdumars]

Little do they know that this remote planet's inhabitants are on their way here because they just reached peak shozbot!

[mekrob]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')ell apparently they are grammer experts.

[eric_b]

Here's another link on the topic:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1965

I must say this really captured my imagination. It's thought most stars are actually smaller than the sun, like Gliese 581. A mere 20 lightyears from Earth this star is still not visible naked eye from earth (visual magnitude 10). Gliese 581 is a red dwarf, with about 1/3 the mass of our sun and no more than 1% of its brightness. The planet itself is the smallest ever detected I believe, with about 5 times the mass of earth (gravity of 2 g's?). In order for a planet to be well placed to harbor life around such a faint star it must orbit closely, and 581c does. Orbiting a mere six million miles from the star (Earth is 98 million miles from Sol) it completes an orbit (year) in less than two weeks.

From 581c Gliese would appear a huge dim sun, appearing 10x larger in the sky than ours. With our eyes adapted to the much brither light of Sol it might be possible to look directly at this disk of this star without much damage. I imagine any tidal effects would be extreme (assuming oceans) because of the tight orbit, and I wonder what effect this might have on the rotation period of 581c. There's also the fact red dwarfs have much longer lifespans than larger stars - while Sol may have a lifespan of 15 billion years, a star like 581 can easily last an order of magnitude longer than this - 150 billion years.

I imagine some ancient alien society, like something out of a David Brin novel, populating this heavy earthlike planet around a faint sun.

From a cosmic perspective this star is so close.. yet still oh so far away. For example it would take the voyager 1 probe, traveling around 38,000 mph, close to 300,000 years to reach 581c. Kinda puts things in perspective. It seems that if there is other life "out there" that we are well and truly separated from them. Then perhaps this is by design, to prevent exponential growth advocates like us from overrunning the universe.

[Newsseeker]

I believe in life on other planets. To think that we are the only form of life in all of the Universe seems chauvanistic and myopic to me.

[Chuckmak]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newsseeker', 'I') believe in life on other planets. To think that we are the only form of life in all of the Universe seems chauvanistic and myopic to me.

[Kylon]

I think we should adapt some photosynthetic algae, and some eukaryotic producers, and launch them into space towards that planet.

Then the planet could begin to populate with life, if it has the needed requirements for life, and in a couple of billion years, life could evolve to the point of sentience.

This way humanity would have accomplished more total good than evil during it's reign.

[Twilight]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ebyss', 'E')arthling: "Hi, can I come live on your planet with you guys? My old place is a shithole 'cause we completely raped it. I think we should re-name this place "Earth 2", is that cool with you?"

Native Earth2ling: "Not really"

Earthling: "Whatever.. hey! Is that oil?"

[Newsseeker]

Maybe this planet is where all of our mutilated cattle went. BEEF IT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER!!

[Bioman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hubbertspeak7777777', '
')Well, if you wanna go, they're gonna have to pick you up because it would take millions of years for us to go there. It's 20 light years away! One light year is around 5.8 trillion miles. Twenty light years would be around 120 trillion miles... that trip would take millions of years with the current technology we have.