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Alpha Centauri B Has An Earth-Mass Planet
SpaceRef ^ | 10/16/12 | Keith Cowing

Posted on 10/16/2012 5:50:06 PM PDT by KevinDavis

European astronomers have discovered a planet with about the mass of the Earth orbiting a star in the Alpha Centauri system -- the nearest to Earth. It is also the lightest exoplanet ever discovered around a star like the Sun. The planet was detected using the HARPS instrument on the 3.6-meter telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. The results will appear online in the journal Nature on 17 October 2012.

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


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: alphacentauri; alphacentauria; alphacentaurib; space; xplanets
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Well I was partially right.. I hope the planet can handle human life.
1 posted on 10/16/2012 5:50:06 PM PDT by KevinDavis
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To: KevinDavis

Dibs.


2 posted on 10/16/2012 5:51:56 PM PDT by dead (It ain't over until the phone lady sings.)
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To: KevinDavis

Well its about time.

I’ll start packin.


3 posted on 10/16/2012 5:51:59 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: Jack Hydrazine; ELS; ToxicMich; paintriot; Cronos; A_perfect_lady; Art in Idaho; perplyone; ...

4 posted on 10/16/2012 5:53:35 PM PDT by KevinDavis (And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.)
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To: dead
Dibs hell, I'm already selling condos.
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5 posted on 10/16/2012 5:56:45 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: cripplecreek

Just a little to close to the sun (Alpha Centauri) than I would like, but what the heck ... I’ll start packing.


6 posted on 10/16/2012 5:57:49 PM PDT by doc1019
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To: KevinDavis

Nice to know. But we can’t go until we now whether there is beef.


7 posted on 10/16/2012 5:58:22 PM PDT by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: KevinDavis

8 posted on 10/16/2012 5:59:23 PM PDT by Edward Teach
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To: KevinDavis

That’s the planet they launched the Robinson Family to in “Lost in Space.”


9 posted on 10/16/2012 6:06:20 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: cripplecreek

LOL! I’m in! Where do I sign up?


10 posted on 10/16/2012 6:13:02 PM PDT by TADSLOS (Conservatism didn't magically show up in Romney's heart in 2012. You can't force what isn't in you.)
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To: KevinDavis

OK... Do we need to start a “MOVE TO NEW PLANET!” PING? If so, you do it...lol.

PACKING. How many ladies are coming? Stops packing.


11 posted on 10/16/2012 7:14:23 PM PDT by NCDave (AKA, "That idiot over there")
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To: cripplecreek

I’m ready to go as well. I don’t know how long it takes to travel 800 light years but I don’t want to be an old man when I get there so I need to start soon.


12 posted on 10/16/2012 7:22:03 PM PDT by BipolarBob (G Orwell was an optimist it seems.)
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To: BipolarBob

This is only about 4 and a half light years so it will only take 50,000 yeas or so with current technology.


13 posted on 10/16/2012 7:32:14 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: cripplecreek
This is only about 4 and a half light years so it will only take 50,000 yeas or so with current technology.

WhaaaaaA? I though we broke the light speed barrier on Sunday.

Science is hard: Andrea Mitchell graphic says ‘Fearless Felix traveled faster than speed of light’


14 posted on 10/16/2012 7:51:52 PM PDT by KarlInOhio (Big Bird is a brood parasite: laid in our nest 43 years ago and we are still feeding him.)
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To: KarlInOhio
We broke hyperlight years ago.

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15 posted on 10/16/2012 7:53:25 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: KevinDavis

Time to build a star ship. :-)


16 posted on 10/16/2012 7:55:03 PM PDT by Red Steel
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To: KevinDavis
The article cites no surface temperature estimates, but the planet orbits Alpha Centauri B every 3.2 DAYS.

That sunrise must be a bitch.

17 posted on 10/16/2012 8:25:29 PM PDT by TChad
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To: KevinDavis
There's already people there:


18 posted on 10/16/2012 9:02:02 PM PDT by Slyfox
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To: KevinDavis

This time, Dr. Smith, have a better story than checking on the helium/nitrogen ratio. Major West says a story like that wouldn’t get him out of Sunday chapel. ;-)


19 posted on 10/16/2012 10:26:00 PM PDT by grateful
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To: KevinDavis; annie laurie; Knitting A Conundrum; Viking2002; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Mmogamer; ...
Thanks KevinDavis.
 
X-Planets
· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe ·
Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar ·

20 posted on 10/17/2012 3:48:00 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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