Scientists Spot Nearby 'Super-Earth'

CNN ^ | 12/16/2009 | CNN

[Dallas59]

(CNN) -- Astronomers announced this week they found a water-rich and relatively nearby planet that's similar in size to Earth.

While the planet probably has too thick of an atmosphere and is too hot to support life similar to that found on Earth, the discovery is being heralded as a major breakthrough in humanity's search for life on other planets.

"The big excitement is that we have found a watery world orbiting a very nearby and very small star," said David Charbonneau, a Harvard professor of astronomy and lead author of an article on the discovery, which appeared this week in the journal Nature.

[x_plus_one]

David Charbonneau is probably a long lost relative of Toussaint Charbonneau - the guy who bought Sacajawea.

[6SJ7]

A light year is 9 Trillion Miles...and if this thing is 40 light years away.....its NOT NEAR BY IN LAYMAN’S Terms.

Kids in the back of the spaceship; "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?!"

[RipSawyer]

“The planet is also rather near to our solar system — only about 40 light-years away.”
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Wow, as soon as we learn to travel at the speed of light we can make a round trip in just...eighty years.

[RipSawyer]

“The planet is also rather near to our solar system — only about 40 light-years away.”
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Wow, as soon as we learn to travel at the speed of light we can make a round trip in just...eighty years.

[catman67]

At the rate this administration is spending, we’ll be able to walk there in a year or two over a path of strung-out dollar bills!

[Tunehead54]

Using 186,000 miles per second - you’re correct. Unfortunately I already committed the 9 trillion miles figure to memory ... arghh! ;-)

[bikerman]

seem to remember a movie way back about the same thing the earth double was unseen because it was on the other side of the sun in the same orbit as earth a space ship from earth landed on it by mistake.

[Moltke]

Light years...meh!...real men measure distances in parsecs!

[Dallas59]

[bikerman]

Thats it all though I think it was in black and white in the orignal movie.

[Jed Eckert]

Wow, as soon as we learn to travel at the speed of light we can make a round trip in just...eighty years.

Forget about traveling at speed of light. Think wormholes.

[ReneeLynn]

E-”Shouldn’t that be ‘bad-bye’?”

J-”What? No.”

E-”Does he live underwater? Is he black?”

They’re excited they found this planet that ‘may’ be earthlike 9 trillion light years away? It’s hot and gassy? THAT must be Gore’s fortress of solitude.

[ShadowAce]

...major breakthrough in humanity's search for life on other planets.

huh? The only "breakthrough" possible in a random search like this is actually finding life on other planets. We're no nearer to finding it that we were before this discovery.

Don't get me wrong--this is cool. But it's not a "major breakthrough".

[Jackknife]

Forget about traveling at speed of light. Think wormholes.

Folding Space

[NormsRevenge]

Cool. another planet for mankind to pillage and plunder. :-)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Dallas59.

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[mosesdapoet]

Thanks..
Check out my website http://www.usmat.com/

[Night Hides Not]

Let’s send all the lefties there so they can cool the place down.

I think Hiilary Clinton could accomplish that all by herself.