Scientists Discover a Nearly Earth-Sized Planet

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Scientists discover a nearly Earth-sized planet

By JENNIFER QUINN, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 41 mins ago

HATFIELD, England – In the search for Earth-like planets, astronomers zeroed in on two places that look awfully familiar to home. One is close to the right size. The other is in the right place. European researchers said they not only found the smallest exoplanet ever, called Gliese 581 e, but realized that a neighboring planet discovered earlier, Gliese 581 d, was in the prime habitable zone for potential life. "The Holy Grail of current exoplanet research is the detection of a rocky, Earth-like planet in the 'habitable zone,'" said Michel Mayor, an astrophysicist at Geneva University in Switzerland.

An American expert called the discovery of the tiny planet "extraordinary."
Gliese 581 e is only 1.9 times the size of Earth — while previous planets found outside our solar system are closer to the size of massive Jupiter, which NASA says could swallow more than 1,000 Earths. Gliese 581 e sits close to the nearest star, making it too hot to support life. Still, Mayor said its discovery in a solar system 20 1/2 light years away from Earth is a "good example that we are progressing in the detection of Earth-like planets."

Scientists also discovered that the orbit of planet Gliese 581 d, which was found in 2007, was located within the "habitable zone" — a region around a sun-like star that would allow water to be liquid on the planet's surface, Mayor said. He spoke at a news conference Tuesday at the University of Hertfordshire during the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science.

- snip -

"It is the first serious 'water-world' candidate," Udry said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090422/ap_on_sc/eu_britain_new_planet

[bigjohn16]

1. It's amazing what science is capable of.

I can't wait until we start getting pictures of some of the exoplanets.

[Dogmudgeon]

2. Gliese 581 in full

Well ... almost full.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliese_581">Gliese 581 at Wikipedia.

(Standard Disclaimer: Wikipedia isn't authoritative, but it is good.)

By the way, Wilhelm Gliese's last name is pronounced like "http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=1206">GLEE-zuh".

--d!

[Pacifist Patriot]

3. Fascinating! I have always wondered about the "habitable zone."

I realize we work on the assumptions innate in us, but I can't help but think, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Is liquid water a requirement for sentient life? Or just sentient life like us?

[No Elephants]

4. Good question.

[NeedleCast]

16. Maybe Neither

Habitable Zone only refers to the area of a star's orbit that is likely habitable by human or animal life as we know it. Regarding space and life, one of my favorite quotes has always been "space isn't just queerer than we know, it's queerer than we can know."

[pleah]

5. K&R

[Soylent Brice]

6. now can i leave earth???

[BlueJazz]

8. I wouldn't rush to leave for the New Planet. Scientists received one message and ...

...it stated: Twregd Zesder, Jiyur Poiusre.

Which translates to: Cut Taxes, Less Spending. :) :)

[Soylent Brice]

19. DAMMIT!!! DAMMIT ALL TO HELL!!!

[barbtries]

7. this is exciting stuff

there is so much we do not know.

[gabby garcia]

9. good - now we can clone everyone

on earth and send them there, creating a doppelganger world to experiment on!

[The Stranger]

10. Fuck it. I'm outta here.

I told you people a million times.

Adios, Motherfuckers!

:hi:

[Glorfindel]

12. Ta-ta, but do be careful out there

A planet that can support human life also probably pullulates with microbes and parasites that would render you lifeless in half an hour or less. :scared:

[The Stranger]

21. Cool.

Sounds kinky.

(And thanks for the new verb -- "pullulates". New vocabulary is always welcome.)

[Phoonzang]

11. Gliese 581 is a busy system for a puny little Red Dwarf star. Has as many rocky planets as we do.

Haha....but it's so tiny. Not like our massive, powerful Sol. Ah....need more coffee.

[feslen]

13. re: if we could....

If humans had space travel ala Star Trek,

and settled on distant, inhabitable "alien" worlds...how quickly would it take us to mess that up to? :)

but that's great news regardless...now it shows why we must keep up the space exploration programs!

[feslen]

14. re: rolls eyes

oops I meant HABITABLE (mornings).

sorry about that!

[NeedleCast]

17. Sol is only massive and powerful in our system

Comparativly, it's a fairly normal star.

Check out this YouTube for a pretty cool comparison of the sizes of space bodies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iPwDVavDPc

[Phoonzang]

20. I know. I was joking. There's more red dwarf stars than any other type.

Nice video though. I saw a still version of that somewhere and I'm amazed by the size of some of those stars.

[Donnachaidh]

26. man -- makes us look like the size of a gnat's fart in comparison with the big stars

wow -- great vid, thanks!

[NeedleCast]

15. Really Amazing Stuff.

Considering that just a decade ago we could only find the absolute largest planets orbiting nearby stars. Now we're capable of finding earth sized planets and a new satellite has just gone up with an ever greater capacity for finding planets. Exciting times we live in.

[Stuart G]

18. We should send them a note..."beware of planet earth.." nt

[aquart]

22. But is it Class M?

[Crunchy Frog]

23. Yes, but what's the price of split-crotch panties there? (Sorry, Python reference.)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

24. The planet in the good-for-life zone is 7 times as massive as Earth.

Getting up in the morning must be painful.

[crankmob]

25. maybe it's godzillas home planet