Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The most earthlike planet yet
Astronomy ^ | 02/02/06 | Francis Reddy

Posted on 02/02/2006 5:27:18 PM PST by KevinDavis

Scientists using an observational technique that exploits Albert Einstein's theory of gravity report the discovery of a planet just 5.5 times Earth's mass. The new world, located in Sagittarius toward the Milky Way's center, orbits a cool M-dwarf star 21,500 light-years away.

"This finding means that Earth-mass planets are not that uncommon," says Kailash Sahu of Baltimore's Space Telescope Science Institute and a member of the discovery team. "If we found one, there must be more."

The new world is the first discovered around another star that agrees with astronomers' theories of how planetary systems form. Princeton astronomer Bohdan Paczynski explains: "Around red dwarfs, the theory predicts Earth- and Neptune-sized planets to be more common than Jupiter-sized planets. The planets would be located between 0.1 and 10 times the Earth-Sun distance from their stars."

(Excerpt) Read more at astronomy.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: earth2; earthlikeplanet; space
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-33 next last

1 posted on 02/02/2006 5:27:19 PM PST by KevinDavis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: RightWhale; Brett66; xrp; gdc314; anymouse; NonZeroSum; jimkress; discostu; The_Victor; ...

2 posted on 02/02/2006 5:27:46 PM PST by KevinDavis (http://www.cafepress.com/spacefuture)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KevinDavis

Maybe we can send Hillary over there? :-)


3 posted on 02/02/2006 5:33:11 PM PST by QQQQ
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KevinDavis

Earth size, sun like earth's sun, earthlike orbit, water, oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere . . . ?

Pack the kids and let's go!


4 posted on 02/02/2006 5:33:38 PM PST by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: QQQQ; All

No she can stay here.. We should pack up and leave.


5 posted on 02/02/2006 5:34:15 PM PST by KevinDavis (http://www.cafepress.com/spacefuture)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: KevinDavis
How about giving her a one way ticket to here . . . . . . ? Fitting, I think.
6 posted on 02/02/2006 5:37:00 PM PST by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: KevinDavis
"This finding means that Earth-mass planets are not that uncommon," says Kailash Sahu of Baltimore's Space Telescope Science Institute and a member of the discovery team. "If we found one, there must be more."

Wow. Since people have found me, there must be more! I can't wait to meet the other Mees.

7 posted on 02/02/2006 5:38:04 PM PST by lepton ("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KevinDavis

Sorry, I usually just lurk SpacePing threads, but what's the size/age/radiation of an "M-dwarf" star?


8 posted on 02/02/2006 5:42:25 PM PST by IslandJeff
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: IslandJeff; All

Good Question...


9 posted on 02/02/2006 5:43:15 PM PST by KevinDavis (http://www.cafepress.com/spacefuture)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: KevinDavis
Thanks, but, re-reading it, their speculation is in the last sentence:

Its M-type star has only 22 percent the mass of our Sun and puts out a feeble light. Although the planet circles the star at less than 3 times the Earth-Sun distance, astronomers believe its surface temperature is –364° Fahrenheit (–220° C).
10 posted on 02/02/2006 5:45:15 PM PST by IslandJeff
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: IslandJeff; All

Not a nice place to visit..


11 posted on 02/02/2006 5:49:43 PM PST by KevinDavis (http://www.cafepress.com/spacefuture)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: KevinDavis


Brrr.

Still, knowing little about solar life cycles, could there not be the possibility that the mass of the star may have been larger at one point? Is the star (unnamed, as far as I can tell) "coming" or "going"?

Great stuff, regardless. Really where mathematics meets physics.


12 posted on 02/02/2006 5:51:37 PM PST by IslandJeff
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin
the discovery of a planet just 5.5 times Earth's mass

"just" 5.5 x as large as earth?

13 posted on 02/02/2006 6:00:40 PM PST by Michael.SF. (Things turn out best, for who make the best of the way things turn out.--- Jack Buck (RIP))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: IslandJeff

> Is the star (unnamed, as far as I can tell) "coming" or "going"?

If it's an M-class star... hard to tell how long it's been around, but it'll probably last on the order of a trillion years. Little buggers are dim and burn slow. Great place for a starfaring species in decline to retire to.


14 posted on 02/02/2006 6:03:13 PM PST by orionblamblam (A furore Normannorum libra nos, Domine)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

> Pack the kids and let's go!

At 21,000 light years away, it'll take a while to get there. Make sure to splurge on the first class seats. 21,000 light years trapped in coach... bleah.


15 posted on 02/02/2006 6:05:15 PM PST by orionblamblam (A furore Normannorum libra nos, Domine)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: IslandJeff

This kind of star is small and cool compared to the sun.


16 posted on 02/02/2006 6:07:20 PM PST by RightWhale (pas de lieu, Rhone que nous)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: orionblamblam

Makes my knees ache just to think about.


17 posted on 02/02/2006 6:42:58 PM PST by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Michael.SF.

This doesn't sound like it will be the right one. I'm already breaking the bed frame -- just imagine if I weighed 5.5 times as much!


18 posted on 02/02/2006 6:43:57 PM PST by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: IslandJeff
astronomers believe its surface temperature is –364° Fahrenheit (–220° C).

Probably due to global warming!

19 posted on 02/02/2006 6:44:24 PM PST by burzum (A single reprimand does more for a man of intelligence than a hundred lashes for a fool.--Prov 17:10)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: lepton

Bad logic. Finding you would imply more people with the same general body shape, mass, etc. etc., not an exact copy.


20 posted on 02/02/2006 6:49:15 PM PST by dpa5923 (Small minds talk about people, normal minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-33 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson