Earthlike planet discovery
Options
playmaker88
Members Posts: 67,905 ✭✭✭✭✭
'100 percent' chance for life on newly found planet?An artist rendering shows the four inner planets of the Gliese 581 system and their host star.
Gliese 581g may be the new Earth.
A team of astronomers from the University of California and the Carnegie Institute of Washington say they've found a planet like ours, 20 light years (120 trillion miles) from Earth, where the basic conditions for life are good.
"The chances for life on this planet are 100 percent," Steven Vogt, a UC professor of astronomy and astrophysics says. "I have almost no doubt about it."
The planet is three times the size of Earth, but the gravity is similar.
Dr. Elizabeth Cunningham, planetarium astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, says the discovery is a huge deal.
"It could have liquid water on the surface," she said. "That's the first step to find life."The Gliese 581 system's orbit compared to our own solar system. The planet labeled G is the one scientists believe could very likely support life.
There are hundreds of known extrasolar planets that have been discovered in the Milky Way, but this is the first that could support life.
Earthlings won't be traveling to Gliese 581g any time soon unfortunately. Scientists say a spaceship traveling close to the speed of light would take 20 years to make this journey.
But if we did - we'd find some other things familiar. The atmosphere and gravity are similar to Earth, and if you're from the polar regions, you'd definitely feel right at home. Scientists say the highest average temperature is about -12 degrees Celcius (10 Fahrenheit), but they point out that the planet doesn't have a night and day - one side continually faces the star and the other side faces the darkness of space. This means one side is blazing hot and the other freezing cold.
Gliese orbits a red dwarf star called Gliese 581. Cunningham says "it's a Goldilocks planet."
"It's not too hot, it's not too cold, it's just right" for water to form, Cunningham said.
The area is called the "Goldilocks zone."
Other planets near Gliese 581g have been discovered, but they are not habitable and are mainly comprised of gas. Gliese 581g, however, is a rocky planet.
It was discovered using the Keck telescope in Hawaii which has been observing the star Gliese 581 for 11 years.
"Keck's long-term observations of the wobble of nearby stars enabled the detection of this multi-planetary system," said Mario R. Perez, Keck program scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington.
Astronomers are excited this new planet was discovered so fast and relatively close by.
"I'm surprised we found one so fast," Cunningham said. "The implication is either we were very lucky or these planets could be relatively common."
Gliese 581g is in the constellation of Libra. While Earth takes 365 days to orbit our star, the sun, Gliese 581g orbits its star in 37 days
20 years away ... If you traveled near the spead of light that ? is hard to even fathom..
Comments
-
Made a thread on this a few months ago.... still excited as ? to read about it. Even though it's very very unlikely we'll make it there during my lifetime, It's comforting to know that if we learn how to travel space that a second home is available if the need would come at the very least.. or imo the best scenario is that it is inhabited by intelligent life and we make contact and learn alot from them.
-
ThaChozenWun wrote: »imo the best scenario is that it is inhabited by intelligent life and we make contact and learn alot from them.
and by "make contact and learn alot from them", you surely mean "conquer them and exploit their resources"
? a jake sully -
Swiffness! wrote: »and by "make contact and learn alot from them", you surely mean "conquer them and exploit their resources"
? a jake sully
Chances are they would be more advanced than we, so that wouldn't happen.
If they aren't well... tough ? they caught the evolution train too late. -
Getting there would require creating a spacecraft that used some kind of renewable energy source and enough sustainable resources that people could live on it for multiple generations....indoor greenhouses with artificial light. More than likely maintain a plant-based diet because of the ability to recycle materials into compost. Cyclical water filtration systems. That kind of thing....which we are probably at least 100 years away (at the very least) from having as a viable, finished product. But still exciting.
-
Getting there would require creating a spacecraft that used some kind of renewable energy source and enough sustainable resources that people could live on it for multiple generations....indoor greenhouses with artificial light. More than likely maintain a plant-based diet because of the ability to recycle materials into compost. Cyclical water filtration systems. That kind of thing....which we are probably at least 100 years away (at the very least) from having as a viable, finished product. But still exciting.
All this can be done now. They have tech that can create high protein algae food by simply exposing the microbial life to uv rays. Lets not for get nasa tech and aero-ponics. Recycling water and ? already done. There is little talked about tech of magnetic propulsion engines that practically last a life time and can be recharged around other magnetic sources. Not to mention nuclear energy systems. -
jus like i question religion.. i question ? like this..
how do we have equipment that can see something 100s of trillions of miles away???
hip me to it.. i consider myself an open minded person..
but jus takin an article's word for it is the same as takin the Bible's word for it....
how are u so sure this ? is fact?? -
116 trillion miles away, make sure to bring your own energy supply.
-
jus like i question religion.. i question ? like this..
how do we have equipment that can see something 100s of trillions of miles away???
hip me to it.. i consider myself an open minded person..
but jus takin an article's word for it is the same as takin the Bible's word for it....
how are u so sure this ? is fact??
Why wouldn't we see it? There is no limit to how far light can travel. As long as it isn't impeded by anything, it will make it to us for observance. Considering that the density of the universe is extremely small, the chance of light going trillions of miles without being obstructed is pretty good. -
jus like i question religion.. i question ? like this..
how do we have equipment that can see something 100s of trillions of miles away???
hip me to it.. i consider myself an open minded person..
but jus takin an article's word for it is the same as takin the Bible's word for it....
how are u so sure this ? is fact??
So then you should question how the ? we have the tools to build houses and eat a grilled cheese sandwich.
GTFOH with all that, how is that real ? . Really, you need to open your EYES more than your head. If you don't think that's real, then you tell me what the ? it is and what they're "subliminally" doing?
I bet you don't even believe the moon landing was real either. -
So then you should question how the ? we have the tools to build houses and eat a grilled cheese sandwich.
GTFOH with all that, how is that real ? . Really, you need to open your EYES more than your head. If you don't think that's real, then you tell me what the ? it is and what they're "subliminally" doing?
I bet you don't even believe the moon landing was real either.
I sometimes question the moon landing -
I see the ? they pointed out but come on, I don't believe it was 'faked'. We were never on the moon before that but then right after that they said, "nope you can't walk like that on the moon" LOL really? Yeah, because some 'expert' that's never been to the moon knows right?
They busted all that ? on myth busters. Oh wait, they're covering it up too lol -
Yea, most of what comes up out of debunkers mouths is full of ? , and I do think we landed on the moon and all. But some pieces of video I sometimes think are doctored and then I have a shitload of other questions like Why are we not going back now to explore more, from then until now we have really upgraded ourselves technologically speaking.
-
So then you should question how the ? we have the tools to build houses and eat a grilled cheese sandwich.
GTFOH with all that, how is that real ? . Really, you need to open your EYES more than your head. If you don't think that's real, then you tell me what the ? it is and what they're "subliminally" doing?
I bet you don't even believe the moon landing was real either.
? u gettin butt hurt for??
as far as tools, houses and cheese sandwhiches.. thats somethin i can either witness firsthand or do with my hands..
me bein given a picture and takin a scientist word for it jus cause is no different then me bein given a book and takin a preachers word for it.. if u dont see the correlation thats on u..
and yeh.. i do question the moon landing.. obviously u dont question ? .. -
The Lonious Monk wrote: »Why wouldn't we see it? There is no limit to how far light can travel. As long as it isn't impeded by anything, it will make it to us for observance. Considering that the density of the universe is extremely small, the chance of light going trillions of miles without being obstructed is pretty good.
i mean i guess.. this ? jus be readin like sci-fi..
but like i said.. i havent done any kind of research to really form an opinion jus wanted to be briefed.. wanted someone to help me make sense of it..
now why bitchboi is mad is beyond me. lol -
? u gettin butt hurt for??
as far as tools, houses and cheese sandwhiches.. thats somethin i can either witness firsthand or do with my hands..
me bein given a picture and takin a scientist word for it jus cause is no different then me bein given a book and takin a preachers word for it.. if u dont see the correlation thats on u..
and yeh.. i do question the moon landing.. obviously u dont question ? ..
you can buy a telescope and witness most of the same, in this case, you would have to use their telescopes -
ThaChozenWun wrote: »you can buy a telescope and witness most of the same, in this case, you would have to use their telescopes
thats what im sayin.. they are seein this on THEIR telescope ...we're gettin everything second hand..
another case of jus havin to take somneone's word for it.. -
thats what im sayin.. they are seein this on THEIR telescope ...we're gettin everything second hand..
another case of jus havin to take somneone's word for it..
But you could go to observatories advanced enough and see it for yourself, it's not like all telescopes that can reach that far are blocked off and you're not allowed to view it. -
ThaChozenWun wrote: »But you could go to observatories advanced enough and see it for yourself, it's not like all telescopes that can reach that far are blocked off and you're not allowed to view it.
oh.. i might have to look into that... -
why is this always expressed as something singular? there were SIX manned moon landings.and yeh.. i do question the moon landing.. obviously u dont question ? .. -
landing(s)why is this always expressed as something singular? there were SIX manned moon landings.
better?? -
that ? is amazing...what i really want to know is if theyre working on technology that will allow man to travel that far
-
No day or Night, so one side of this planet is extremely hot and the other extremely cold. Sounds like a ? *d place, and I seriously doubt Humans will ever get any where close to Light Speed EVER.
-
louis the great wrote: »No day or Night, so one side of this planet is extremely hot and the other extremely cold. Sounds like a ? *d place, and I seriously doubt Humans will ever get any where close to Light Speed EVER.
How "Fast" is the Speed of Light?
Light travels at a constant, finite speed of 186,000 mi/sec. A traveler, moving at the speed of light, would circum-navigate the equator approximately 7.5 times in one second. By comparison, a traveler in a jet aircraft, moving at a ground speed of 500 mph, would cross the continental U.S. once in 4 hours.
The only thing faster than light is possibly thought. Guess we could all imagine and pretend we went there. -
gotdamn...thats far as ? though...20 years one way.....going @ the speed of light. that ? still amazes me though...that scientists can find ? out...that far
-
BiblicalAtheist wrote: »How "Fast" is the Speed of Light?
Light travels at a constant, finite speed of 186,000 mi/sec. A traveler, moving at the speed of light, would circum-navigate the equator approximately 7.5 times in one second. By comparison, a traveler in a jet aircraft, moving at a ground speed of 500 mph, would cross the continental U.S. once in 4 hours.
The only thing faster than light is possibly thought. Guess we could all imagine and pretend we went there.
Check this out being as though we only see one side of the Moon. Cant the same be said for it? This brings up why I question the Moon landing because one side would be extremely hot to hot to land and walk around and the other Beyond a Cold humans could deal with.
