I restricted this full-sized image to display at 500 pixel width.
Artist's rendition of the "super Earth" Gliese 163c, which may be capable of supporting microbial life. [PHL @ UPR Arecibo]
Posted on 09/26/2012 6:02:37 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A newly discovered alien planet may be one of the top contenders to support life beyond Earth, researchers say.
The newfound world, a "super Earth" called Gliese 163c, lies at the edge of its star's habitable zone -- that just-right range of distances where liquid water could exist.
"There are a wide range of structures and compositions that allow Gliese 163c to be a habitable planet," Xavier Bonfils, of France's Joseph Fourier University-Grenoble, told SPACE.com by email.
He went on to caution that several possible uninhabitable combinations exist as well.
A Newfound Super Earth
Bonfils and an international team of astronomers studied nearly 400 red dwarf stars with the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), a spectograph on the 3.6-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile.
Gliese 163c was one of two alien planets found orbiting the star Gliese 163, which lies about 50 light-years from Earth in the Dorado constellation The team found indications of a third planet as well but cannot confirm it at this time.
Weighing in at about seven times the mass of Earth, Gliese 163c could be a rocky planet, or it could be a dwarfed gas giant, researchers said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.discovery.com ...
Artist's rendition of the "super Earth" Gliese 163c, which may be capable of supporting microbial life. [PHL @ UPR Arecibo]
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LOL space.com had a story today suggesting that “super earths” might be unlikely places for life.
http://www.space.com/17759-super-earth-alien-planet-life-chances.html
And also I’m hopeful that this story is correct. A new comet discovered may be the most spectacular comet of our lifetimes in November of 2013. Possibly the great comet of 1680 making a return.
http://www.space.com/17762-newfound-comet-dazzling-2013-display-c2012s1.html
“Weighing in at about seven times the mass of Earth, “
I’m ready to move,,, but does that mean I’d weigh 1,400 pounds? That might be difficult to manage!
No, because the surface gravity is also a function of the distance to the centre. The G-force is directly proportional to the mass and inverse-square proportional to the distance. Assuming the same density as Earth, a world of seven times the mass would be roughly double the diameter. That would mean 7x Earth mass divided by 4, or just under 2g, so you’d only weigh about 400lb.
Hmm... So (hypothetically speaking), if Obama fell out of Air Force One at 30,000 feet, what would the G-force on his head be at impact?
Just askin'...
Circumstantial evidence. We do not know for sure that there are planets. The stars may contain elements we have no knowledge of. These new elements may shift weight or absorb electrons or expel matter and then go in cycles.
Sounds great! When do we leave?
“...so you’d only weigh about 400lb.”
In other words, you’d be Ogliese.
Just a snarky question, The article uses the phrase alien planets. What planet besides Earth would not be an alien planet?
“so you’d only weigh about 400lb.”
Oh! Well! Only 400 pounds? No problem! 8^)
As snarky questions go, that wasn’t very snarky. ;’)
Sometimes, on the day after elections, *Earth* seems pretty alien.
Or, maybe thunder is just dwarves bowling.
Thanks Squawk 8888.
LOL!
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