Could 'Goldilocks' planet be just right for life?

Associated Press ^ | Wed Sep 29, 7:19 pm ET | By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein, Ap Science Writer

[Redcitizen]

WASHINGTON – Astronomers say they have for the first time spotted a planet beyond our own in what is sometimes called the Goldilocks zone for life: Not too hot, not too cold. Juuuust right.

Not too far from its star, not too close. So it could contain liquid water. The planet itself is neither too big nor too small for the proper surface, gravity and atmosphere.

It's just right. Just like Earth.

"This really is the first Goldilocks planet," said co-discoverer R. Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

[Redcitizen]

An FTL drive would get us there quicker than just cruising at the speed of light. =)

[HerrBlucher]

That is assuming it happened once. The primordial soup theory is so 1950’s.

[ArtDodger]

Paging Edmond Hamilton. Paging Edmond Hamilton. We need a journey that will last 500 years!

[RockinRight]

If we knew we could live there, I’d say let’s go, but since we don’t, just send the libs there instead. They’re the ones who always whine about the planet, let them see another planet and realize just how good this one is.

[FlingWingFlyer]

:)

[MadJack]

Maybe His Oneness and the First Wookie can use their Muslim outreach program to explore and colonize it in the name of the Moon God.

[RockinRight]

WE (humans) will be the life on other worlds. We’ll find planets that are “somewhat” livable and make them livable.

[The_Reader_David]

Okay, let’s get special relativity right: in the vacuum, massless particles (like light) travel at the speed of light; massive particles (or macroscopic objects made of such) cannot be accelerated to the speed of light due to the Lorentz shift in mass, which would mean an infinite amount of energy would be needed to accelerate them to the speed of light.

As to superluminal travel, in the sense of ordinary motion through space, it is forbidden by special relativity.

What is not forbidden by the theory are dodges like warp drives and stable wormholes. In fact there are solutions to Einstein’s equations (general relativity) which allow both—one solution is called “the Alcubier warp drive” because a body in one region of space-time in that solution looks like a warp-driven starship to the rest of the universe.

Unfortunately, all of these exotic solutions require there to be regions of space-time with negative mass-energy density. Negative energy densities have been observed, but only at the level of quantum fluctuations in the presence of equal nearby positive energy densities (if they tunneled out of the vacuum, or larger positive energy densities if some process was used to create a negative energy density).

There seems to be no way to collect lots of negative energy in one place to make either a warp drive or a stable wormhole. (Incidentally the amount of negative mass-energy
needed to make a wormhole big enough to walk through and keep it open is about minus the mass of Jupiter. I’m not sure the estimates on the Alcubier warp drive.)

[Viking2002]

True. Aliens might blast us into a cinder for shipping our raw sewage off-planet without a permit. LOL

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away, for his name is Obama."

[Windflier]

I wonder what the odds are of the “primordial soup” accidently happening twice.

It's been estimated that there are more stars in the known universe than all the grains of sand, on every beach on earth.

With numbers that staggering, I'd say the odds of the "primordial soup" occurring in places other than Earth are very good. In fact, I'd say that it's a certainty.

[krb]

Not countless, just self replicating.

[xjcsa]

"It's pretty hard to stop life once you give it the right conditions," Vogt said.

Right. Because we've seen it happen so many times.

[ilovesarah2012]

Can Obama just go be president there?

[TimeLord]

DaffY Duck: “I hereby claim this planet in the name of....DUCK DOGERS IN THE TWENTY-FOURTH-AND-HALF CENTURYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!”

Porky Pig: “B-b-b-b-big deal.”

[freedumb2003]

[UCANSEE2]

So.... Frank Drake had it right all along.

[UCANSEE2]

Alright, who has that prototype FTL drive in their garage?

The Balloon Boy's dad did have it. He had to sell it to pay the fines for 'emergency services'.

[plinyelder]

Okay, let’s get special relativity right: in the vacuum, massless particles (like light) travel at the speed of light;
massive particles (or macroscopic objects made of such) cannot be accelerated to the speed of light due to the Lorentz shift in mass, which would mean an infinite amount of energy would be needed to accelerate them to the speed of light.

As to superluminal travel, in the sense of ordinary motion through space, it is forbidden by special relativity.
What is not forbidden by the theory are dodges like warp drives and stable wormholes.
In fact there are solutions to Einstein’s equations (general relativity) which allow both—one solution is called “the Alcubier warp drive” because a body in one region of space-time in that solution looks like a warp-driven starship to the rest of the universe.

Unfortunately, all of these exotic solutions require there to be regions of space-time with negative mass-energy density.
Negative energy densities have been observed, but only at the level of quantum fluctuations in the presence of equal nearby positive energy densities (if they tunneled out of the vacuum, or larger positive energy densities if some process was used to create a negative energy density).

There seems to be no way to collect lots of negative energy in one place to make either a warp drive or a stable wormhole.
(Incidentally the amount of negative mass-energy needed to make a wormhole big enough to walk through and keep it open is about minus the mass of Jupiter.
I’m not sure the estimates on the Alcubier warp drive.) <--- YEA .. What He Said!

[Shortwave]

Exactly! “Tidally locked” means it is a dead planet for all intents and purposes. It is of my opinion that a planet’s rotation is just as important to sustaining life as being in the “Goldilocks” zone. They must be getting short on grant money.

[UCANSEE2]

So if we travel at the speed of light, it would take 20 years to get there...

What if.... to travel at the speed of light, have have to 'be' light?