Newly Discovered Planet May be First Truly Habitable Exoplanet

Santa Clara U. ^ | 9/29/2010 | Tim Stephens

[Dallas59]

A team of planet hunters led by astronomers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the Carnegie Institution of Washington has announced the discovery of an Earth-sized planet (three times the mass of Earth) orbiting a nearby star at a distance that places it squarely in the middle of the star's "habitable zone," where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. If confirmed, this would be the most Earth-like exoplanet yet discovered and the first strong case for a potentially habitable one.

To astronomers, a "potentially habitable" planet is one that could sustain life, not necessarily one that humans would consider a nice place to live. Habitability depends on many factors, but liquid water and an atmosphere are among the most important.

"Our findings offer a very compelling case for a potentially habitable planet," said Steven Vogt, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz. "The fact that we were able to detect this planet so quickly and so nearby tells us that planets like this must be really common."

[Blood of Tyrants]

Three times the mass of the Earth and they call it habitable?

[coloradan]

Note: “Really close” = 120,000,000,000,000 miles. Or about one mile away for every dollar of shortfall in the federal budget going out 50 years.

[Beowulf9]

The planet is tidally locked to the star, meaning that one side is always facing the star and basking in perpetual daylight, while the side facing away from the star is in perpetual darkness. One effect of this is to stabilize the planet’s surface climates, according to Vogt. The most habitable zone on the planet’s surface would be the line between shadow and light (known as the “terminator”), with surface temperatures decreasing toward the dark side and increasing toward the light side.

“Any emerging life forms would have a wide range of stable climates to choose from and to evolve around, depending on their longitude,” Vogt said.

The researchers estimate that the average surface temperature of the planet is between -24 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-31 to -12 degrees Celsius). Actual temperatures would range from blazing hot on the side facing the star to freezing cold on the dark side.”

Hmmm...

[garjog]

Do they need women?

[Dallas59]

1.2 to 1.4 times the size of the Earth.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Time to buy stocks for an anti-gravity research firm.:-)

[Dallas59]

Then again it could be deader than a doornail. Why are they wasting their time...when so many Muslims feel bad about themselves?

[QBFimi]

Is it Koosbane? Are there Merdilidops there?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRhg-_HwOBc&feature=related

[Centurion2000]

bump

[GraceG]

I thought this planet Gleise was in the new Months or years ago.... This reeks of recycled news.

[TChad]

The most habitable zone on the planet's surface would be the line between shadow and light...

At Columbine Sept Heures it was always dusk.

[Slyfox]

Can we send Algore?

[Abin Sur]

Three times the mass of the Earth and they call it habitable?

Potentially habitable, sure. A surface gravity of 1.5G or so would be no impediment to life evolving there. The next generation of space telescopes will be able to determine the atmospheric composition of some exoplanets. If they detect free oxygen, it's pretty much a dead giveaway that there's life.

[dr_lew]

“Any emerging life forms would have a wide range of stable climates to choose from and to evolve around, depending on their longitude,” Vogt said.

Not longitude. The lines tracing presumably similar conditions, based on symmetry, would be like lines of latitude with respect to "poles" defined by the line from the star through the center of the planet. The terminator would be the "equator".

[Old Sarge]

Blast from the past! Thank you very much!

[NavyCanDo]

If they find one full of Moon Maidens, Amazonian Women, or those lovely Green Orion Girls, do ping me. Otherwise traveling a zillion light years is pretty much a waste.

[Abin Sur]

Note: “Really close” = 120,000,000,000,000 miles.

Compared to 99.999999% of the universe, that is really close to us.

[April Lexington]

Ahhh... the perfect place to resettle Liberals!

[JohnBovenmyer]

Winds and weather are apt to be atrocious, but there have been SF novels speculating about life under such circumstances.