Posted on 04/25/2007 3:07:03 AM PDT by FostersExport
Astronomers have found the most Earth-like planet outside our Solar System to date, a world which could have water running on its surface. The planet orbits the faint star Gliese 581, which is 20.5 light-years away in the constellation Libra.
Scientists made the discovery using the Eso 3.6m Telescope in Chile.
They say the benign temperatures on the planet mean any water there could exist in liquid form, and this raises the chances it could also harbour life.
"We have estimated that the mean temperature of this 'super-Earth' lies between 0 and 40 degrees Celsius, and water would thus be liquid," explained Stephane Udry of the Geneva Observatory, lead author of the scientific paper reporting the result.
"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."
Xavier Delfosse, a member of the team from Grenoble University, added: "Liquid water is critical to life as we know it."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Running water? Does this mean indoor plumbing? What are their building codes like? How about their public schools?
The world is wondering.
The big question about these far-away planets: Does it appear to be cooling or warming. Perhaps aiming our radioscopes and telescopes at them may be inducing warming there.
Any scientist studying this planet must of course now purchase offsets to allow investigations to continue... to receive more funding grants, that is.
Some scientists are desperate for fame. They will say anything to get into the news. The news media comply and use words like “another earth”, “habitable planet”, and other fantasies.
It is much too soon to know if the planet is earthlike.
sure..that's for now.
wanna bet "they" will soon notice huge flucuations in those temps and we'll have Global Warming II....AND it will STILL somehow be linked to SUVs, cell phones, and/or George W. Bush.
(dang...you beat me by a minute! MORE COFFEE!!!)
BBC articles can be posted in their entirety.
This exoplanet is the closest in size to Earth so far found, and is in its star system’s habitable zone.
Ping of interest.
Hmmm, another “Class M” planet. Prepare an away team to beam to the surface.
Class M Planet
This is GREAT news! A perfect place for our liberals and enviros to migrate. They can start over fresh, with an unspoiled planet, implement their utopian nut case ideas there, and LEAVE US ALONE! It would take them about a year to realize, once and for all, that their ideas don’t work in the “real world”. Free Republic, Rush Limbaugh, and President Bush would be a little too far away for them to be able to blame at that point.
Planet Kucinich - Only 150 trillion miles away!
Lets get the oil rigs up and running.
Any astronomy literate people here who can describe how they determine it has liquid water and how they plan on determining if it has life? Is it spectral analysis like they use to determine star makeup?
But what about this? Does it have a moon to protect it from asteroids and to churn this seas? We have a remarkable planet here in our girl Earth. No need to go elsewhere.
OH, they'll get there and realize they weigh a whole lot more. Then, imagine the weird diets they'll go on to lose weight.
Ok, I’m confused. I did a search for planet and none of those threads came up. This did surprise me but I’ve double checked my search.
Ok, nevermind. I had the search set to Title (Score) rather than Title (Date).
According to one of the sources (either in the related threads or another new source—have looked at a fair amount so far), the planet would be subjected to tidal forces from its primary (its star). Earth also is subjected to tidal forces from the Sun, but the tidal forces from the Moon have more effect as the Moon is closer to Earth than the Sun. In contrast, Gliese 581 c is much closer to its sun than Earth is to the Sun.
A red sun...let’s name it Krypton
And the question about determining the gravitational force of a planet from its mass and a radius is an actual question--either in relation to Earth's gravitational force, or in terms of actual units independent of Earth.
OH, they'll get there and realize they weigh a whole lot more. Then, imagine the weird diets they'll go on to lose weight.
Good. They can bring their own tofurkey, made with Chinese gluten.
Now if we could just figure out how to overcome the aging process, time, and space. Oh wait, I believe Jesus already did that, and when we see him, we will be like him, making all those things possible. Like sightseeing any object in the Universe, even though Earth will always eternally be home sweet home.
It has a mass of five times earth already. Perhaps Rosie o’donnel is already there...
I thought that there is a New Heaven and a New Earth?
The basic formula is this:
Gravity of 581 planet =(density of 581/density of Earth)* Radius of planet 581.
Yep. This universe (that is, the planets, stars, moons and other celestial bodies) will be destroyed. The Sun also won’t exist.
Do they have Democrats there?
The Radius is subjective to the Density of 581 and relating to the Radii of Earth.
Earth’s density is factored so we can get a ratio relating to the Gravitational factor of Earth.
For example:
Jupiter density 1.33
Earth Density 5.5
Radius of Jupiter is 11 earth radii
Jupiter= (1.33/5.5) * 11
Jupiter has 2.6 of Earth’s gravity
Appreciated.
Finally! Let’s get the Oscillation Overthruster working, and we can get off this rock!
Sorry to keep on asking these questions, but in the Jupiter scenario, why is Earth’s density 5.5 and not 1?
Something to consider, a planet that has never had dinosaurs to create oil would be a planet without oil for nations to fight over. A fuel source would have to be used for everything would be in a different direction than we have had here on earth, it makes a person think about what our advances would be if we had no oil here? would we have gone from coal to electric? and then nuclear?
It would also affect all the byproducts made from petrochemicals.
The future of mankind will have to adapt to the fact that in the future fossil fuels WILL be gone on earth and will NOT be found on any other planet. I hope that pisses off Exxon.
Because, Density is subjective to Mass and Volume.
Density=mass/volume
Starbucks and a McDonalds soon to follow.
“Starbucks and a McDonalds soon to follow.”
Considering the planet weighs 1.5 times that of Earth, I think we can assume McDonald’s has already set up shop...
How could we have failed? As the all-powerful creator, isn’t everything that happens, all part of God’s plan? Doesn’t God know if/when Armageddon will happen? Wouldn’t it also be part of His plan?
The world is wondering.
LOL.... post of the week!
Please go somewhere else with your....
Uh huh.
Thanks for sharing.
Wow, that a ‘discovery’. Sounds like a lot of speculating going on based on looking through a telescope.
Send Algore as an ambassador.
why do u hope it cheeses off exxon?
How exciting!
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