View Full Version : First earth-like planet discovered
Most people are too busy watching American Idol to realize how important this news is. Amazing!!!!
A new member in a family of planets circling a red dwarf star 20 light-years away has just been found. It's called Gliese 581g, and the 'g' may very well stand for Goldilocks.
Gliese 581g is the first world discovered beyond Earth that's the right size and location for life.
"Personally, given the ubiquity and propensity of life to flourish wherever it can, I would say that the chances for life on this planet are 100 percent. I have almost no doubt about it," Steven Vogt, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at University of California Santa Cruz, told Discovery News.
http://news.discovery.com/space/earth-like-planet-life.html
It was only a matter of time. In the infinity of the universe it's inconceivable that there isn't an infinite number of planets that would support some sort of intelligent life.
20 light years away?? How many thousand years would it take to get there? One thing I find stunning about space, is the vast distances invloved..and how slow our space craft go. Yeah, they're moving fast,but to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time, we need to be going light speed, I don't see that happening for awhile..Of course,one could try a wormhole...
Neat article and thanks for the heads up. I've mailed it to several people I know.
kaiservontexas
10-01-10, 20:22
Now we know where those buggers are coming from that mess with our bombs! j/k
I do not see how that planet would be suitable. No rotation, sun burns one side and dark freezes the other side. None-the-less interesting place to see and speculate about.
FromMyColdDeadHand
10-01-10, 20:49
IIRC the planet is tidally locked so that one side bakes, the other side freezes. Interesting to see how big of a ring around the planet where life could flourish.
Assume no magnetic poles either.
militarymoron
10-01-10, 21:08
we should immediately declare it an enemy planet.
jklaughrey
10-01-10, 21:18
That'll teach those buggers to mess with our nuclear arsenal!
GermanSynergy
10-01-10, 22:07
They should call it Marklar.:sarcastic:
we should immediately declare it an enemy planet.
And give it an ultimatum to give up its WMD's.
20 light years away?? How many thousand years would it take to get there? .
Well if we spend all of our nation's resources on welfare instead of physics research...
20 light years away?? How many thousand years would it take to get there? One thing I find stunning about space, is the vast distances invloved..and how slow our space craft go. Yeah, they're moving fast,but to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time, we need to be going light speed, I don't see that happening for awhile..Of course,one could try a wormhole...
generational ships...
or we could just send frozen eggs and sperm... or something along those lines.
i dunno if 50% of light speed is plausible.. mere 40 years then.
crazy thing is we wouldn't even hear about it on earth til 20 years after they landed.
life's work for something you'll never find out about.
I In the infinity of the universe it's inconceivable that there isn't an infinite number of planets that would support some sort of intelligent life.
Well, first of all the universe is only 90 trillion light years across or so. It is expanding.
Also the amount of matter in the universe is finite and has been measured.
So there is not an infinite number of planets. There is a finite number, but we do not yet know what that number is.
Well if we spend all of our nation's resources on welfare instead of physics research...
oh yeah, let's get everything perfect here first. :rolleyes::o
Also the amount of matter in the universe is finite and has been measured.
and scientists are always correct never wrong ?
yeah have heard other theories that this is a theory kind thing that some say its impossible then others say it does end its like a huge loop ? then whats beyond that loop ? OH nothing OH so more space! NO it does not work that way ? how does it work the argument goes on and on
scientists are only correct for a short while till they find out the next fact
look at global warming !!!! their is some quality science for you
variablebinary
10-02-10, 03:34
Humans are a disgusting species. If there is life out there, they sure as hell don't want to hang out with us.
Humans are a disgusting species. If there is life out there, they sure as hell don't want to hang out with us.
You don't happen to hate the discovery channel? :sarcastic:
In all seriousness they know jack and shit about this new planet. They're watching a red dwarf and making educated guesses based on distortions (wobbles, light etc) they've seen. Hell it could be just a big cold rock or a giant space turd from some galactic giants, who knows. Now they're running around talking about life, it's all media hype for funding.
variablebinary
10-02-10, 07:36
The science of space travel is interesting, but we are never leaving our solar system. Even if we could, where would go, and how would we get there?
If there is life on this aforementioned planet, even if it is a planet of disease fee, naked, super hot female models that don't age, love to cook and put out like porn stars, what does it matter, we are never going to be able to get there.
Why?
Voyager 1 is the fastest space craft made by man. It is covering a distance of about 315 billion miles a year. That star is 117 trillion miles away. Translation: it would take 370,758 years to get to that planet at Voyager's speed. If the Neanderthals had launched Voyager, it would only be getting to that planet tomorrow.
Even traveling at light speed, it would take 20 years. We can't even build a car that will last 20 years without falling apart, so how the hell are going to build a space ship that lasts that long. What energy source can accelerate a ship to that speed, because from what I recall about physics, it would require infinite energy. Can humans survive traveling that speed?
Even if we invented man made worm holes and some type of space bridge. Worm holes have to be opened from both sides, meaning, we'd have to get there first, coordinate with earth, to ensure we tearing through space correctly and going where we want to go.
20 light years away?? How many thousand years would it take to get there? One thing I find stunning about space, is the vast distances invloved..and how slow our space craft go. Yeah, they're moving fast,but to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time, we need to be going light speed, I don't see that happening for awhile..Of course,one could try a wormhole...
It's interesting how everything is relative in the universe. 20 light years away is right next door by Astronomical standards, but too far for us to reach.
Well, first of all the universe is only 90 trillion light years across or so. It is expanding.
Also the amount of matter in the universe is finite and has been measured.
So there is not an infinite number of planets. There is a finite number, but we do not yet know what that number is.
100 Billion galaxies, containing 1-3 hundred billion stars each, with planets discovered pretty much every where look (100 + found and counting) leaves some numbers so large, it's infinite to us, and that's what's referred to as "the known universe" being that's what we can see.
Well if we can’t get there then how are we going to exploit it for its unobtainium?
ForTehNguyen
10-02-10, 08:57
so when can we mine the unobtainium?
jklaughrey
10-02-10, 09:01
Probably mining unobtanium will be after we figure out how to restructure dilithium crystals for transwarp drive...Mr. Scott I need full power...Aye Cap'n I am giving her all she's got!
Business_Casual
10-02-10, 09:56
we should immediately declare it an enemy planet.
It's an ugly planet; a bug planet.
We should send the mobile infantry.
B_C
pilotguyo540
10-02-10, 11:08
Humans are a disgusting species. If there is life out there, they sure as hell don't want to hang out with us.
Do you get picked on a lot? I don't understand your self hatred some times. I think you need a hug.
Frankly, some of us are pretty cool and definitely worth hanging with. :)maybe the aliens suck. After all, they haven't said hi. Not exactly neighborly.
A message was sent to the Gliese system a few years ago, so unless they start trying to contact us first, likely the soonest we can expect a response is going to be about 2048 ;).
kaiservontexas
10-02-10, 12:33
It's an ugly planet; a bug planet.
We should send the mobile infantry.
B_C
I just got the audio book of Starship Troopers.
I will second the go to war with this ugly tidally locked bug planet.
one could try a wormhole...
That is one I would not volunteer for. How do you know where the other end of the worm hole is? It could be inside a star! Ouch! Hot hot hot hot hot.
Plus, even if you knew where the worm hole is, entering it you are still going into a black hole. The difference in gravity from your head to your feet will tear you apart. Traveling through a worm hole is still beyond physics. Depending on how you believe in the information paradox, Hawking os Susskind, you will be distroyed.
Even traveling at light speed, it would take 20 years. We can't even build a car that will last 20 years without falling apart, so how the hell are going to build a space ship that lasts that long. What energy source can accelerate a ship to that speed, because from what I recall about physics, it would require infinite energy. Can humans survive traveling that speed?
I don't believe humans can survive traveling at light speed. Light speed is measured for massless particles, we have mass, so there is a opps. If we acchieve the speed of light, we loose all mass and are therefore either destroyed or turned into information [ie light, or any other wave form] We would then have to be reassembled from that information back into out physical form. Anyone know how?
The best way to travel would be to bend spacetime around us but this once again would take more energy then we can currently make, even with all the nuclear power on the planet.
jklaughrey
10-04-10, 09:43
Would..."Beam me up Scotty" work in regards to the travel at the speed of light.
ForTehNguyen
10-04-10, 09:51
Would..."Beam me up Scotty" work in regards to the travel at the speed of light.
in the newest Star Trek movie they beamed people up while the Enterprise was moving at warp speed
arizonaranchman
10-04-10, 09:53
The science of space travel is interesting, but we are never leaving our solar system. Even if we could, where would go, and how would we get there?
If there is life on this aforementioned planet, even if it is a planet of disease fee, naked, super hot female models that don't age, love to cook and put out like porn stars, what does it matter, we are never going to be able to get there.
Why?
Voyager 1 is the fastest space craft made by man. It is covering a distance of about 315 billion miles a year. That star is 117 trillion miles away. Translation: it would take 370,758 years to get to that planet at Voyager's speed. If the Neanderthals had launched Voyager, it would only be getting to that planet tomorrow.
Even traveling at light speed, it would take 20 years. We can't even build a car that will last 20 years without falling apart, so how the hell are going to build a space ship that lasts that long. What energy source can accelerate a ship to that speed, because from what I recall about physics, it would require infinite energy. Can humans survive traveling that speed?
Even if we invented man made worm holes and some type of space bridge. Worm holes have to be opened from both sides, meaning, we'd have to get there first, coordinate with earth, to ensure we tearing through space correctly and going where we want to go.
I agree. We're never getting off this planet. When this planet dies we go with it, whenever that is. In space things are so far away it's beyond comprehension.
I think their are other universes just as there are other galaxies. Everything in space is in clusters or groups, from planets to stars to galaxies. I'm sure if we can ever figure out how to look we'll see an endless expanse of other universes out there.
variablebinary
10-04-10, 09:56
I see two options for making long distance space travel possible.
1: Sub-space travel
2: space-time distortion in a craft that occupies normal space-time
Neither will be possible in our lifetime, if at all
I agree. We're never getting off this planet. When this planet dies we go with it, whenever that is. In space things are so far away it's beyond comprehension.
I think their are other universes just as there are other galaxies. Everything in space is in clusters or groups, from planets to stars to galaxies. I'm sure if we can ever figure out how to look we'll see an endless expanse of other universes out there.
Only way I see it is a "life boat" type scenerio where we float through space for generation after generation looking for a new planet. Possibly thousands of years.
Or we terraform Mars.
Would..."Beam me up Scotty" work in regards to the travel at the speed of light.
Same principle. We would have to dissassemple you into information, trasmit through either light, radio, microwaves, x-frays, whatever. Then reassemble at the destination. Either way, you can only travel AT the speed of light. So the information sent consisting of you would take 20 years to get to that planet. Now obviosly you would not notice that since you are information as are unable to perceive the time spent as information so to you it would be instant, but it would still take 20 years to the people back on earth.
The only way to travel is to create enough energy that you can bend/warp spacetime itself around you to get you to the destination faster than the speed of light.
Theoreticaly, it is easier to bend spacetime and travel faster than light than it is to accelorate a craft to the speed of light.
ForTehNguyen
10-04-10, 10:40
lets just ask the aliens on how they get to other planets on Oct 13
Another thing I haven't seen mentioned here is acceleration. In space travel Acceleration plays a huge role in how fast you get somewhere.
Say we make a ship that can travel at near the speed of light.
How long will it take to accelerate to that speed?
If I am right (and I may not be) it would take about a year to accelerate to the speed of light if accelerating at 1g. This of course doesn't take into account time dilation as an object approaches the speed of light.
Nor is it factoring in the same amount of time needed to decelerate at the end of the trip for a 0/0 intercept of the planet we wanted to visit.
Of course you could cut this time down by accelerating faster, but then you are putting the crew under a higher gravity than the human body is made to take over a long period of time.
ETA:
This all of course is based off of our current understanding of the universe. Who knows what science will bring us in the coming years. All it takes is one seemingly breakthrough and the floodgates open up. Just look at where we are now vs. the 40s and 50s. It is entirely possible that our grandchildren will be out there on a ship somewhere with our sun no more than one small dot among billions of others in the rear view mirror.
I honestly believe that we will be terraforming planets before we'll be traveling at light speed. There are planets much closer than 20million light years that could support some form of life, or be modified to support life. I believe that we'll be leap frogging to different planets/galaxies within the next thousand years or so. Assuming there's no Super Plague, or TEOTWAWKI.
I honestly believe that we will be terraforming planets before we'll be traveling at light speed. There are planets much closer than 20million light years that could support some form of life, or be modified to support life. I believe that we'll be leap frogging to different planets/galaxies within the next thousand years or so. Assuming there's no Super Plague, or TEOTWAWKI.
I think we will not have a need to reach the speed of light, as we will figure out a way to "go around" it first. Bending space and time would be theoretically easier at this point, than collecting the massive energy reserves it would take to accomplish light speed travel.
I think we will be trying to create and control/manuipulate worm holes long before we will be able to travel anywhere near light speed.
But then again; if we have a truly large evolutional shift in Consciousness and we lose our physical forms, we could possibly be light, traveling at our own speed.
Anything is possible.
Another thing I haven't seen mentioned here is acceleration. In space travel Acceleration plays a huge role in how fast you get somewhere.
Say we make a ship that can travel at near the speed of light.
How long will it take to accelerate to that speed?
If I am right (and I may not be) it would take about a year to accelerate to the speed of light if accelerating at 1g. This of course doesn't take into account time dilation as an object approaches the speed of light.
Nor is it factoring in the same amount of time needed to decelerate at the end of the trip for a 0/0 intercept of the planet we wanted to visit.
Of course you could cut this time down by accelerating faster, but then you are putting the crew under a higher gravity than the human body is made to take over a long period of time.
ETA:
This all of course is based off of our current understanding of the universe. Who knows what science will bring us in the coming years. All it takes is one seemingly breakthrough and the floodgates open up. Just look at where we are now vs. the 40s and 50s. It is entirely possible that our grandchildren will be out there on a ship somewhere with our sun no more than one small dot among billions of others in the rear view mirror.
What you are talking about is constant acceloration space travel. The ship would accelorate at a constant rate, in this case 9.807m/s^2, then at the exact midpoint, the ship would turn around, and use the same amount of thrust to slow it down by 9.807m/s^2 thereby comming to a stop at the destination.
This would work well for shorter distances, but you would need to be at the speed of light for 20 years to get to that planet. Since you cant quite get to the speed of light, you would have to stop accelorating at one point so this would not be a constant acceloration journey as there is no way to have an infanite amount of fuel on board.
And yes, you are exactly right. At 1G [9.807m/s^2] it would take 339.7 Earth days to accelorate to the speed of light
t = (v - v0)/a
t= (299 792 458 m / s -0)/9.807 m/s^2
The problem is, you can never get to the speed of light as said before. You can get close. But as you get closer the ammount of force needed which would be the amount of energy/fuel needed goes to infinity. You are always halfing the amount. This is who it was esplained to em in physics class, imagine that the speed of light is a football field. Yfor a given amount of fuel, you can only move half the remaining distance. So from one end you can go 50 yards, then 25, then 12.5 then, 6.25, then 3.125, then 1.5625 and so on so forth. You will never get there. But you till get close.
pilotguyo540
10-04-10, 15:25
I think there will be a break through in physics to make this possible. I doubt it will a brute force solution that got us into space in the first place
My problem with this type of science is that it is all unproven and constantly evolving. Sure we think we have it figured out now but in 50 years from now we will look barbarically ignorant. The modern equivelant of the flat earth crowd, if you will. I think this is a good thing. It is exciting. I sure as hell don't have the answers, but someday someone will. These dreams may not be realized for several generations, or even centuries, but the process is still worth the effort. Some things are so much bigger than us and all the more important because of it.
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