New evidence for nearby Solar-like planetary system [Vega]

spaceflightnow.com ^ | 5 Dec 03 | staff

[RightWhale]

More of the chimera--the search for life. NASA ought to be emulating Lewis & Clark rather than Ponce de Leon. Vega is approaching earth. Approaching the sun.

[OXENinFLA]

Vega?

[mitchbert]

Wega

[My2Cents]

Do Vegans not eat meat?

[KarlInOhio]

Vega!

[RightWhale]

Vega is usually the first star visible in the fall in Fairbanks when it finally starts getting dark again. Big, bright, blue, nearby as far as stars go. If it has earthsize planets it would be an early goal for interstellar travellers.

[RightWhale]

That's funny. Puts a new twist on those who claim to be vegans.

[martin_fierro]

Let's Contact them and find out. <|:)~

[Dog]

Vega was mentioned in the movie Contact.

[Mr. Mojo]

A yes, Vega. ....1/3 of the "summer triangle" (which includes Altair and Deneb), one of the first constellations I remember learning. One of the brighter stars (in apparent brightness). It would be amazing if it had rocky planets between it and its gaseous giant planets.

[Frank_Discussion]

Hot D*mn! My first thought! HAIL TO VEGA!

[VadeRetro]

Owned one (hatchback, not the pictured wagon). Let's hope the star outlasts the car.

[Tree of Liberty]

Vega

[Frank_Discussion]

Something about this makes me very happy. Maybe it's because it is such a close neighbor.

[Question_Assumptions]

From the information I found, it looks like Vega is an A0V (or main-sequence blue-white star) that's throwing off a lot harder radiation than our sun does. Doesn't look like a good candidate for life to me.

[RightWhale]

Considering that Alpha Centauri is a double star and probably wouldn't be hospitable to us, and it's about the closest, Vega as a possibility is very welcome.

[RightWhale]

Right, it's hot. Wouldn't do to be too close to it. Wonder how their ozone layer is holding up?

[JenB]

According to Have Spacesuit Will Travel, which I read when I was 10, Vega does indeed throw off too many bad rays for us. The Vegans were naturally hardened to their effect. But of course, most people these days don't read good SF so...

[hc87]

There isn't anyone to phone there, unless Carl Sagan's Contact aliens are passing through the neighborhood. Vega is only 350 million years old, so there is virtually no chance of multi-cellular life. Plus at three times the size of the sun, Vega will go nova within a billion years.


http://outreach.jach.hawaii.edu/pressroom/1998_vega/

http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/vega.html

[Frank_Discussion]

Imagine something akin to the Jovian satellite system here. Maybe it's hot in the inner rocky band of planets, but hospitable moons in the outer ring of gas giants might thrive on a hot star. Life doesn't have to arise only on a planet, consider that.