Alien planet looks 'just right' for life

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Astronomers say they've found the first planet beyond our solar system that could have the right size and setting to sustain life as we know it, only 20 light-years from Earth.

"My own personal feeling is that the chances of life on this planet are 100 percent," Steven Vogt, an astrophysicist at the University of California at Santa Cruz, told reporters today. "I have almost no doubt about it."

The discovery, published online in The Astrophysical Journal, is the result of 11 years of observations at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Astronomers participating in the Lick-Carnegie Exoplanet Survey detected the planet by tracking the faint gravitational wobbles it produced in its parent star. Now they say there may well be many more planets out there like this one.

"The fact that we were able to detect this planet so quickly and so nearby tells us that planets like this must be really common," Vogt said in a news release.

Better send out a few expeditions now.

The newfound planet, known as Gliese 581g, is estimated to be 3.1 to 4.3 times as massive as Earth, and makes a complete circuit around its sun in just under 37 days.

There's one way of extending the human life expectancy to about 800 years. Of course, we'd pretty much have to roll all our holidays into one and you'd be in school for about 200 years.

See this thread could be called "Contact".

That's pretty awesome though, I always get giddy at the thought of not being alone.

That's pretty awesome though, I always get giddy at the thought of not being alone.

seconded, I've been waiting for them to find one, being that close is just icing on the cake.

I won't lie, I didnt know "The Fourth Kind" wasn't real and it sort of scared the shit out of me but still...I think it would be pretty kick ass.

Pretty exciting stuff.

Does anyone know how far off we are from sending something to the planet, how long it would take to get there, etc.
Edit* nvm just read the article...

200 years is a long time...

Pretty exciting stuff.

Does anyone know how far off we are from sending something to the planet, how long it would take to get there, etc.
Edit* nvm just read the article...

200 years is a long time...

220 years in "light years"
however we cannot go that fast yet.

its a 120 trillion miles away.
the X-15 rocket propelled aeroplane (the fastest human manned aeroplane) hit 4,520 mph.
120,000,000,000,000 miles divided by 4,520 miles gives us
3,223,207 YEARS!!!! before a human could reach it, that is.

Two months for the U.S.S. Voyager.

How about the Millennium Falcon?

Pretty exciting stuff.

Does anyone know how far off we are from sending something to the planet, how long it would take to get there, etc.
Edit* nvm just read the article...

200 years is a long time...

Really far off.
We haven't even yet sent a man on Mars, and if one believes the conspiracy theories - the moon.

Great, just needed a topic for an English presentation.

200 light years away... 200 years at speed of light. Err...

Good that at least they claimed to have another habitable planet found. Compared to the Super Earth, this planet doesn't sound much exciting but I guess it's closer if it means any.

"The fact that we were able to detect this planet so quickly and so nearby tells us that planets like this must be really common,"

Does it? We found this one even quicker and closer, but nobody was drawing the conclusion that they're "common".

when you're an astrophysicist you can argue with him kobe, until then shut the fuck up. what the fuck do you know

what the fuck do you know

Logic. If he'd given some sort of astrophysics-related reason, your point would be valid, but he didn't.

yep, a media article will quote astrophysics in order to prove a point to your ignorant ass. you fucking moron.
you want astrophysical reasons? go read up on the 11 years of study they did - i'm sure you'll understand it all!

"Our research indicates that these sorts of planets should be common" would suffice. "We found one quickly" does not.

Once again, your opinion on this doesn't mean shit. His does.
Your opinion is based on reading an article from some news site. His is based on 11 YEARS OF RESEARCH.

Fight a battle you know something about - until then, shut the fuck up.

His is based on 11 YEARS OF RESEARCH.

No, his is based on the fact that said research resulted in finding an earth-like planet quickly.

Let's say we get on a space ship and make our way there. It will take 200 light years.

Two thoughts:

1. It will have to be a several generation trip. Half way into the trip, the people will be wondering..."why are we going there again?" All they know is life on a space ship. WTF is a planet or Earth?

2. Let's say that planet is "perfect" to humans. Do we expect the planet to stand still? What if when the people get there, it's not what it was anymore. Ok, there was once water the last time we checked, but not anymore. Things changed. So do they go back now?

It will take 200 light years.

A light year is a measure of distance, not time.

Let's say that planet is "perfect" to humans. Do we expect the planet to stand still? What if when the people get there, it's not what it was anymore. Ok, there was once water the last time we checked, but not anymore. Things changed. So do they go back now?

What if the Earth wandered off and dried up? Or Guam tipped over?

1. It will have to be a several generation trip. Half way into the trip, the people will be wondering..."why are we going there again?" All they know is life on a space ship. WTF is a planet or Earth?

This is the dumbest thing i've read in awhile.
1. Remember that whole theory where you dont age at the speed of light?
2. Also, if you did have to go multigenerationa/live as a colony on a ship: you'd have to have schools etc. where the concepts of Earth and the mission could be taught.

1. Remember that whole theory where you dont age at the speed of light?

Ask that question again after create something that can travel at the speed of light.

[quote="z02"][quote="Oznogrd"]1. Remember that whole theory where you dont age at the speed of light?[/quote]
Ask that question again after create something that can travel at the speed of light.[/quote]

Thank you. It will have to be a slow boat to Planet for now. So, I stand by as a "several generation" trip.

[quote="Oznogrd"]

2. Also, if you did have to go multigenerationa/live as a colony on a ship: you'd have to have schools etc. where the concepts of Earth and the mission could be taught.[/quote]

Correct. But looking at a picture or book about Earth (or how ever they will teach it at that time) will (may not) make them want to live there or understand it fully. My teacher talked about the Ice Age. Looks kind of cold with some big animals. I'm not sure I want to be there.

Is your BBCode on?

My teacher talked about the Ice Age. Looks kind of cold with some big animals. I'm not sure I want to be there.

Yeah, fairly cold. Go to Antarctica for a year or two, live there and tell me what you think. Pretty cold. You don't to be there.even if I want you to be there. lol

Correct. But looking at a picture or book about Earth (or how ever they will teach it at that time) will (may not) make them want to live there or understand it fully. My teacher talked about the Ice Age. Looks kind of cold with some big animals. I'm not sure I want to be there.

Why would they need to want to live on earth? You never brought that up and has nothing to do with what you orginally said. And of course they'd know planets better than us given the fact they'd probably be driving by them.