Posted on 09/29/2010 7:43:30 PM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Actually, the “band of life” would be around the terminator, the direction of which would depend on the orientation of the axis against the plane of orbit (earth’s is 23.5 degrees). Any angle of axis at all would create “seasons” becaus the terminator would shift during its orbit around the star.
One question the articles haven’t answered: How did they conclude that there was a tidal lock? I doubt our telescopes have the resolution to reveal surface details.
The lighted side would be too hot for human habitation. Best bet for humans would be along the terminator, living in perpetual sunrise or sunset.
I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, it's a simple matter of reasoning and logic, based on the factual evidence at hand (trillions upon trillions of stars and galaxies).
For the record, I'm not advocating that purely physical forces and elements accidentally triggered the formation of life (here, or anywhere else).
We could always order another from Slartibartfast ;)
Or kudzu?
Maybe it has something to do with how close this planet is to it's star.
Let’s place an order now. It takes awhile for a radio signal to make it to Barnard’s Star. Unless someone wants to hitchhike over there using an Electronic Thumb.
They are only seeing the smaller picture.
The Universe is the primordial soup. We are proof of that. We are made of stardust.
Interesting idea for a story
Around the terminatior there would be a “seasonal” variation of night vs. day, the significance of which would depend on the tilt of the planet’s axis. There could be significant, predictable movement of the termiator at hihger lattitudes.
Yes, we are composed of stardust, but stardust did not arrange itself into a DNA molecule.
"Evidence. We don't got no evidence. We don't need no stinkin' evidence."
Yeah whatever happened to the spirit of adventure? Lets just go check it out.
You'll have to excuse the few here with, "flat earth" mentalities, that occasionally surface here. Clearly, if they can't imagine this, they are not fully equipped to even speculate on planetary life, and where that life might possibly exist.
It’s unknown whether water actually exists on the planet, and what kind of atmosphere it has. But because conditions are ideal for liquid water, and because there always seems to be life on Earth where there is water, Vogt believes “that chances for life on this planet are 100 percent.”
I think someone is a wee bit overly optimistic.
“3 - 4 Gs gravity.
I say lets send all Dem voters there, gratis. No round-trip tickets.”
Only problem is... if they can survive 3-4 G’s, they will adapt, and in a few generations we’ll have a planet full of liberals with superhuman strength!
“3 - 4 Gs gravity.
I say lets send all Dem voters there, gratis. No round-trip tickets.”
Only problem is... if they can survive 3-4 G’s, they will adapt, and in a few generations we’ll have a planet full of liberals with superhuman strength!
I'm not so sure. What will the deniers say when thousands of planetary systems are being cataloged and discovered orbiting stars, which are extremely similar to earths orbit, orbiting stars similar to our own sun?
From another news release:
however, the most important thing about Gliese 581g is its closeness. Only 116 stars of any kind are nearer to us, and only 9 of these have been tracked thoroughly enough to find any such planets if they exist. The fact that one was found so close so soon, says team member Paul Butler, suggests that at least 15% or 20% of of all stars have habitable worlds.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/home/104031014.html
If anything we should start investigating into building computerized machinery that can literally build themself from the ground up...literally.
Send them to Mars and terraform the planet, even Venus can be made livable in some respects in all of Earths resources were to join together...instead of living under Islamic fear.
Lets fix our problems here first before we start shipping our crap across the galaxy. I would tend to think other species may not approve of what we are and how we act, especially in the last century.
There is exactly one data point regarding life in the universe. You can extrapolate a line in any direction from a single point, but it is utterly meaningless. Don’t be an idiot. Wait till we at least find data point number 2 before making your grand analogy of life on earth with poison ivy.
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