New Planet Discovered

http://space.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn11710&feedId=astrobiology_rss20 ^

[chessplayer]

"For the first time, astronomers have spotted a cosy alien planet that might be hospitable to life. The planet is not much bigger than the Earth, and it enjoys balmy temperatures of about 20° C (68° F) as well as spectacular scarlet sunsets."

[chessplayer]

Cool!

[taxesareforever]

Psst, psst, its Pluto.

[PetroniusMaximus]

Hillary is, at this moment, discussing plans to send a tax bill to this planet via rocket.

[Living Free in NH]

Keep an eye on it for evidence of global warming.

[battlegearboat]

New babies to adopt!

[sageb1]

“Hillary is, at this moment, discussing plans to send a tax bill to this planet via rocket.”

And I am, at this moment,discussing plans to send Hillary to this planet via rocket.

[A_perfect_lady]

Ah, now I see a use for the detainees at Gitmo. Drop ‘em off there, see if they live.

[Windcatcher]

It will be interesting when the Keck Interferometer, the interferometer at Paranal, and Hubble are all pointed at this star. Just about every planet hunter in the world is likely looking at it now.

[KSCITYBOY]

Let’s strip mine it and really piss off the libs.

[taxesareforever]

All enviromentalists and liberals please line up at Gate #1 for your flight to Eden.

[twoputt]

Any lakefront property available?

[SamAdams76]

We could be simply looking at ourselves through time.

[battlegearboat]

Here's a Rocket 88 ready to go(Scotch Guarded for beast stains).

The keys are in the ignition...

[Repeal 16-17]

It can’t have Global Warming. Only humans cause Global Warming. Haven’t you been listening to Al “I Won The Popular Vote” Gore?

[JellyJam]

Can we send Rosie O’Fruitcake right now?

[Vroomfondel]

Udry and colleagues discovered the planet using the European Southern Observatory's 3.6-metre telescope in Chile. They monitored a small, dim "red dwarf" star called Gliese 581, which lies 20.5 light years away, and is already known to have a Neptune-class planet.

I bet Richard Branson is already selling tickets to see the Fabulous Reverse Brothers...

[verum ago]

There are a lot of ifs here: the only thing they know is its approximate mass, and approximate orbital distance. That said, the odds do favor it being rocky and it probably has an atmosphere. Another article I read earlier today notes that if it does have an atmosphere the surface temperature could easily be much hotter. It’s also quite likely that the planet has been despun, and the same side is always facing its star. But it has a chance of liquid water, and therefore life. And that makes it a milestone discovery, regardless of all the unsureities.

[verum ago]

“Hillary is, at this moment, discussing plans to send a tax bill to this planet via rocket.”

And I am, at this moment,discussing plans to send Hillary to this planet via rocket.

Seems like a waste of a perfectly good planet. Just tell her that's where the tax bill and herself are going, then point her rocket her tax bill's rocket at the sun.

[Leo Carpathian]

As long as the sunsets are cool, that’s it, move all the RATs there, they can sing guuumbaaayyyyaaa and use single sheet of toilet paper.

[yankeedame]

Ah, now I see a use for the detainees at Gitmo. Drop ‘em off there, see if they live.

(impish grin) And let them figure out which way is Mecca