New earth like planet found

[JulianKingOfNothing]

So today I read this article in the newspaper on the bus, and I've always been fascinated by space, and life on other planets.
So back home I did some research, and appearantly astronomers have been looking at Gliese 581 for 11 years now, and they first asumed Gliese 581C could be the planet to contain life, but now they think 581g is more suitable for life:
___________

Astronomers have discovered a planet of similar size to Earth in orbit around a nearby star called Gliese 581g, which is located in prime real estate within the constellation Libra.

The discovery of the most Earth-like planet with about three times the Earth’s mass orbiting the nearby red dwarf star Gliese 581g has been announced by the astronomers. The planet lies in the star’s ‘Goldilocks zone’, the region where liquid water could exist on the planet’s surface. In cosmic terms, the new planet is virtually our next-door neighbor. It circles a dim red star, Gliese 581 that’s only 20 light-years away. It also appears to have an atmosphere, gravity like our own and could well be capable of life.



This new planet takes 37 days to orbit the star once, and orbits at a distance about 1/6 the distance of the Earth from the Sun. The researchers will report in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal that Gliese 581g contains only about 30% of the sun’s mass and shines with only about 1% of its brightness.

[Anonymouse]

Cool :ssurprised:
Too bad it's 20 light years away.. :ssweating:

[ethanlima058]

That is very interesting... the star may not have as much power as the Sun but from what I read it looks like it could keep burning for trillions of years.

[DW_Bomzin]

It's all lies I tell ya.

These people will keep you fascinated though .

lies

20 light year , how long does that take at warp factor 5?

We really should heed Steven Hawking's warnings but alas it may be to late. I heard the UN is taking up hearings to appoint an ambassador to aliens and not the ones in the news mind you. :ssweating:

[DW_Bomzin]

No one finds the humor .

Any how here you go .

Nearly one-fourth of sun-sized stars, if not more, have planets about the size of our own circling in close orbits, researchers say. The findings pose a challenge to the current theory of planetary formation.



That means that our galaxy alone, with its roughly 200 billion sun-like stars, has at least 46 billion Earth-size planets orbiting close to the stars, and perhaps billions more circling farther out in what scientists call the habitable zone, said astronomer Andrew Howard of UC Berkeley, a coauthor of a paper on the subject published in Friday's edition of the journal Science.

Such planets "are like grains of sand sprinkled on a beach — they are everywhere," Howard said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la- ... 4432.story

[DW_Damaged]

That is very interesting... the star may not have as much power as the Sun but from what I read it looks like it could keep burning for trillions of years.

Well considering our sun only has about 5 billions more years of energy left until it expands and engulfs the earth and other planets and the fact that our suns life span is about 10 billion years I don't think this star has trillions of years left. However when the sun starts to die if it sheds about 20% of its mass as it expands it could push the Earth into a new orbit preventing us from being cooked and sending us into a deep freeze. Either way in about 5 billion years we better be living somewhere else other than planet Earth.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9L7SMoT3RM[/youtube]

But if there are billions of suns in our galaxy and with millions of Earth like planets surrounding these suns and then you take into account that there are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe then there has to be hundreds of millions of Earth like planets that are within the so called habitat zone it should only be a mater of time until we find a new home.

Now if it's only a matter of time until we find a new home with life as we know it evolving on these planets then it is more likely that some of these planets have highly advanced life forms that are hundreds if not thousands of years ahead of us in technology and science. Taking that into account I don't think these highly advanced life forms would take kindly in our attempt to step out of our sand box (that we can't even play nice in) and step into their back yard. On an evolutionary scale we have not evolved enough to mix with other life forms on our own planet let alone one that is thousands of years more advanced than us. We can look into the universe and fascinate ourselves over what is out there but before we step into the abyss it would be wise to think twice because what we find may not be a new and brighter future for mankind but only the demise of the human race.

But we have 5-6 billion years to prepare for the fate of our sun and move from planet Earth. Well, that is unless we destroy ourselves which I think is a much higher probability and once we do that then that more advanced life form that’s living in tranquility will move on in and appreciate the wonders of Earth more than we ever did.

[DW_Ant]

...unless we destroy ourselves which I think is a much higher probability and once we do that then that more advanced life form that’s living in tranquility will move on in and appreciate the wonders of Earth more than we ever did.

I disagree with this statement. All life forms battle each other to survive.

[DW_Damaged]

...unless we destroy ourselves which I think is a much higher probability and once we do that then that more advanced life form that’s living in tranquility will move on in and appreciate the wonders of Earth more than we ever did.

I disagree with this statement. All life forms battle each other to survive.

That is a topic that can be debated Ant. We only know what happens here on planet Earth. We don't know if there are more advanced life forms that do not battle each other to survive. Maybe they have moved beyond the concept of war and destruction. We on the other hand destroy everything including each other. I'm sure there is some type of life form that has realized the value of life and has managed to appreciate each other as well as other forms of life on the planet or planets they live on.

[DW_Bomzin]

[offtopic]

...unless we destroy ourselves which I think is a much higher probability and once we do that then that more advanced life form that’s living in tranquility will move on in and appreciate the wonders of Earth more than we ever did.

I disagree with this statement. All life forms battle each other to survive.

That is a topic that can be debated Ant. We only know what happens here on planet Earth. We don't know if there are more advanced life forms that do not battle each other to survive. Maybe they have moved beyond the concept of war and destruction. We on the other hand destroy everything including each other. I'm sure there is some type of life form that has realized the value of life and has managed to appreciate each other as well as other forms of life on the planet or planets they live on.

That would be a socialists utopia would it not?[/offtopic]
:dnh:

[DW_Damaged]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHMRya2A ... r_embedded

We are nor talking politics Bomzin. We are discussing other worlds and other life forms. What we perceive as socialism, communism, and capitalism may not even be an issue with higher intelligent life forms. What we have created here on planet earth may be a distant and forgettable concept on another earth like planet. They may have moved past the petty issues that we perceive as important or intolerable and in a sense they may have created a caring and compassionate type of utopia. Whether or not life exists in the far reaches of the universe it does not mean that it has evolved in the same war like and evil ways that we have evolved here on planet Earth. One day I am sure we will find out but until then it is merely all speculation.