Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

EARTH-LIKE PLANET AROUND PROXIMA CENTAURI DISCOVERED
the universe today ^ | 13 Aug , 2016 | by Matt Williams

Posted on 08/13/2016 8:51:10 PM PDT by ckilmer

The hunt for exoplanets has been heating up in recent years. Since it began its mission in 2009, over four thousand exoplanet candidates discovered by the Kepler mission, several hundred of which have been confirmed to be “Earth-like” (i.e. terrestrial). And of these, some 216 planets have been shown to be both terrestrial and located within their parent star’s habitable zone (aka. “Goldilocks zone”).

(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: acesat; alphacentauric; apod; astronomy; exoplanet; nasa; planet; proximacentauri; proximacentaurib; science; space; xplanets
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 141-145 next last
To: Red Badger

Ghost ships in space, run by automated failsafe systems, delivering their empty holds into orbit around distant planets. And mistaken millennia later by the emergent species of those solar systems for moons of mystery.


21 posted on 08/13/2016 9:10:54 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: from occupied ga

Yes, that’s what I came up with for a spacecraft moving at 50,000 mph. It would take over 54,000 years to reach the nearest star, Promixa Centauri, which is about 25 trillion miles away. The size of the universe is mind boggling.


22 posted on 08/13/2016 9:12:20 PM PDT by Deo volente (The islamists want to eradicate us, and will never stop. We need to eradicate them first.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: ckilmer
We're not going until we got that pesky speed problem solved.
There are several possible solutions on the drawing board already but all we use today is chemical rockets and gravity assist slingshots, completely inadequate for interstellar travel.

23 posted on 08/13/2016 9:13:17 PM PDT by BitWielder1 (I'd rather have Unequal Wealth than Equal Poverty.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ckilmer

If it took our spaceship “Juno” 5 years to reach Jupiter’s orbit, how many years will it take for man made space ships to transverse 4.25 light years?

Distance from earth of Jupiter = 582 million miles

Distance from earth of Proxima Centauri =
186,000 X 60 X 24 X 365 X 4.25 = 186,000 X 2233800
= 415,486 million miles

Therefore time required for our spaceship to reach Proxima Centauri = 5 X (415,486 / 582) = 3570 years!

Assuming each new human generation requires 20-25 years,
to reach Proxima Centauri will require

3570/25 = 143 generations to be reproduced and kept alive in a spaceship!


24 posted on 08/13/2016 9:15:02 PM PDT by entropy12 (The GOPe are either Globalists pushing cheap labor express or are perma-neocons.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: entropy12

did you compute that bat warp 10 or take into consideration worm holes? I saw them on star trek and they seem to get around pretty fast


25 posted on 08/13/2016 9:16:39 PM PDT by morphing libertarian
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: ckilmer

“Sol’s closest stellar neighbor, a trinary that is only 4.3 lightyears away from Earth. One of its components’ habitable planets was alreay colonized by Earth humans in 2154—possibly the planet where warp-drive inventor Zefram Cochrane took up residence later in life.”

See more at: http://www.startrek.com/database_article/alpha-centauri#sthash.CcIBURlA.dpuf


26 posted on 08/13/2016 9:17:00 PM PDT by VanShuyten ("a shadow...draped nobly in the folds of a gorgeous eloquence.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: from occupied ga
If you do the math, going at the speed of the Pluto probe, 54,726 years

Probably divide that by 20 or so in the next 20 years, not good, but not quite as bad.

27 posted on 08/13/2016 9:19:49 PM PDT by The Cajun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: entropy12

While you have your calculator out, what was Juno’s average speed traveling to Jupiter?


28 posted on 08/13/2016 9:21:47 PM PDT by deadrock (I is someone else.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: entropy12

Minor quibble: Juno did not go in a straight line from Earth to Jupiter. http://d1jqu7g1y74ds1.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/575571main_Juno20110727-3-43_946-710.jpg


29 posted on 08/13/2016 9:21:51 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: morphing libertarian

Hahaha...I am just a real world mechanical engineer.
I deal with reality of physics. I do wish I was a science
fiction writer though! Then I can ignore reality.


30 posted on 08/13/2016 9:22:54 PM PDT by entropy12 (The GOPe are either Globalists pushing cheap labor express or are perma-neocons.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: BitWielder1

There ya go. If we’re ever going into interstellar space and even beyond our own solar system and galaxy, it won’t be by conventional chemical type rocket ships. Nope. That just won’t get it.


31 posted on 08/13/2016 9:24:09 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Yes, I was aware of that, but even if you reduce the 5 years it took to traverse the distance in half, we will still need 72 generations to survive in a space ship.

I will volunteer for the first generation reproduction, if NASA provides me with a mate of my choice hahaha.


32 posted on 08/13/2016 9:25:22 PM PDT by entropy12 (The GOPe are either Globalists pushing cheap labor express or are perma-neocons.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: ckilmer

...OK... I’m outta here! No liberals allowed!


33 posted on 08/13/2016 9:26:19 PM PDT by GingisK
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: entropy12

my guess is that the first space ships that first make the jump will go traveling closer to the speed of light. That technology won’t be available for at least 50 years and maybe 100 years. most of the space travel we’ll see for the next century will be in the solar system.


34 posted on 08/13/2016 9:26:22 PM PDT by ckilmer (q e)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: deadrock

My calculator can not provide that answer. May be Bing or Google will. I was going by the news item than it took 5 years for spaceship Juno to reach and attain orbit around Jupiter.


35 posted on 08/13/2016 9:27:53 PM PDT by entropy12 (The GOPe are either Globalists pushing cheap labor express or are perma-neocons.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: ckilmer

I think we need to invent cold fusion and cancer cure first before I can believe our spaceships attaining speed of light.


36 posted on 08/13/2016 9:28:59 PM PDT by entropy12 (The GOPe are either Globalists pushing cheap labor express or are perma-neocons.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: ckilmer
Nearest Star:

As already noted, the closest star to our Solar System is Proxima Centauri, which is why it makes the most sense to plot an interstellar mission to this system first. As part of a triple star system called Alpha Centauri, Proxima is about 4.24 light years (or 1.3 parsecs) from Earth. Alpha Centauri is actually the brightest star of the three in the system – part of a closely orbiting binary 4.37 light years from Earth – whereas Proxima Centauri (the dimmest of the three) is an isolated red dwarf about 0.13 light years from the binary.

http://www.universetoday.com/15403/how-long-would-it-take-to-travel-to-the-nearest-star/

37 posted on 08/13/2016 9:30:48 PM PDT by amorphous
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

Too many things having to work perfectly for too long. Too many failures of enough things that, on board the ship, are not fixable. Loss of expertise along the way do to imperfect passing on of knowledge and differences in ability.


38 posted on 08/13/2016 9:31:39 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

true. so likely the jump won’t be attempted until travel speeds are quite close to the speed of light. So travel times would be 5 years one way—or about like sailing around the world in 1530.

My wag is that the technology for near speed of light travel won’t be available for 50 to 100 years. Hard to say. Real quantum computers look to be only 10-15 years off. They will greatly accelerate developments as faster computers have a way of compressing time.


39 posted on 08/13/2016 9:32:24 PM PDT by ckilmer (q e)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: dragnet2

EM Drive. They are working on that as well as a couple others. Havent been paying much attention to the advances and tests for that drive these past months though.

Last I saw, they claim that they may have broken into a warp speed with the tests on the Em Drive.

Like I said..


40 posted on 08/13/2016 9:32:39 PM PDT by crz
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 141-145 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson