An Earth-size planet has been spotted orbiting a nearby star at a distance that would makes it not too hot and not too cold
Posted on 10/01/2010 6:39:34 AM PDT by MNDude
An Earth-size planet has been spotted orbiting a nearby star at a distance that would makes it not too hot and not too cold -- comfortable enough for life to exist, researchers announced Wednesday.
If confirmed, the exoplanet, named Gliese 581g, would be the first Earth-like world found residing in a star's habitable zone -- a region where a planet's temperature could sustain liquid water on its surface.[Illustration of planet Gliese 581g.]
And the planet's discoverers are optimistic about the prospects for finding life there.
"Personally, given the ubiquity and propensity of life to flourish wherever it can, I would say, my own personal feeling is that the chances of life on this planet are 100 percent," said Steven Vogt, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, during a press briefing today.
"I have almost no doubt about it."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
My own personal feeling?
At least his colleague was more reasonable and didn’t make the 100% claim. That’s a pretty huge assumption of certainly given the paucity of data.
Yes it’s not like they could visually observe it. Don’t know how they can make such predictions!
Did they ask him about man-made global warming?
Go ahead -- prove me wrong!
So, ONLY by a computer analyzing the fluctuations of a star's light waves, we now KNOW there is HUMAN life elsewhere? LOL!
Is it any wonder the U.S. continues to tank WORLD WIDE in Math and Science. All they have done is used FINITE HUMAN knowledge, which is behind the scenes in ANY computer program to determine HUMAN LIFE on another planet. This is the height of arrogance. Any computer will only do what is is PRGRAMMED to do by a HUMAN being. I suppose circular logic doesn't get in the way of truth. Could we send liberals up there to test this out?
It won’t matter unless there is a McDonalds.
An Earth-size planet has been spotted orbiting a nearby star at a distance that would makes it not too hot and not too cold
Mr. 100% should feel free to visit his newfound discovery. And take the maoist with him.
Hairy, Nasty and the Wee Wee are happy because alien life is something else they might get to tax
Sensational headlines are what the media lives for.
What are they going to do, interview all the other scientists who shrug their shoulders and say they don’t know?
The most “Earth-like” planet we have ever found is Venus. If we were viewing it from another solar system it would look like a perfect duplicate of Earth.
There is probably not a lot of life on Venus.
A planet in the “Goldilocks Zone” MUST have a STARBUCKS.....................
I take it you know very little about getting government grants. Paucity of data won't get you dough, wild assumptions that grab headlines will. Silly you!
“I have almost no doubt about it” and 100% are two entirely different things. This guy had better be better at science than at communicating with the press.
that means there's globull warming there for sure! (sarc)
That’s crazy. If just the tilt of the Earth’s axis was just a little different life could not exist. If our sun was just a faction hotter (or colder) life couldn’t exist. There is no way they can quantify even these variables for the planet and sun in question to make the assertion they do. Does the planet in question have an atmosphere? Silly assertions like this give REAL scientists a bad name and make it appear that science has become hopelessly politicized and monitized.
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