EARTH-LIKE PLANET AROUND PROXIMA CENTAURI DISCOVERED

the universe today ^ | 13 Aug , 2016 | by Matt Williams

[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”).

[BigEdLB]

THE EXPLORERS...

[morphing libertarian]

I forgot where I heard someone say, just invent star trek that’s ALL we have to do.

[BenLurkin]

Absolutely. Like this guy's traveling companion...

But in the interest of fecundity and perpetuation of the species...they should also provide a bevy of spares for you. Just to be on the safe side.

[entropy12]

Oops, I am off by factor of 60 minutes to hours on my calculation in that post.

Which means 4320 generations of humans....kept alive in a spaceship!!

[entropy12]

Now you are talking, my fellow freper!

[dfwgator]

[Ethan Clive Osgoode]

At present speeds it would take hundreds of years to get there............

More like 45,000 years.

[SandRat]

Send the Greenies. food banning crowd and the Climate Change believers, along with all the Commies.

[dragnet2]

Even at light speed it's not fast enough for real distant exploration. But it's a good start. The Andromeda Galaxy is only a couple million light years away, so at the speed of light it would take about 2.5 million Earth years to reach it. Just one way.☺

[Seaplaner]

German weekly Der Spiegel announced recently that astronomers have discovered an Earth like planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, just 4.25 light-years away. Yes, in what is an apparent trifecta, this newly-discovered exoplanet is Earth-like, orbits within it’s sun’s habitable zone, and is within our reach. But is this too good to be true?

A suggested name for the newly discovered planet?

Ork!

.

[morphing libertarian]

planting that flag on Mars. My gurl!

[RandallFlagg]

Makes me wish my game No Man’s Sky would work.

[KarlInOhio]

If you do the math, going at the speed of the Pluto probe, 54,726 years

Which is only about 5 times the length of human civilization from its beginning in the fertile crescent.

[ckilmer]

agree. the further stars will take longer to get to. and a warp drive.

[ckilmer]

the other interesting thing is that we’re in the beginning years of another really big technological acceleration. these accelerations have a way of collapsing the time it takes to develop new technologies that will make these distant locations available for travel.

not in our life times. but maybe in the grandkids life times.

[ckilmer]

judging by what I’m reading out of silicon valley—we’re in the beginning years of another big technological change like what happened in the late 90’s.

[ckilmer]

People are going to have to learn how to live generation after generation in deep space without resupply from Earth,
..............
the elements for that are coming into place. you can see it in the implications of vertical farms, 3d printing, solar farms and the discovery of water and h3 on the moon and mars and various asteroids and comets.

[Jack Hydrazine]

That's nice to hear...

Now show me how to get there at superluminal speed!

[tumblindice]

Panspermia: human and animal zygotes in suspended animation, incubators, robot nurses.
IOW, Noah’s ark. Like the immensity of space, time is relative.

Of course, the other school of thought: we’re all long dead, so who really gives a rat’s a**?

[Jack Hydrazine]

We Are The Explorers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7DEw70LVWs

Explorers (1985)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZp10uBMBDc