"Earth-Like" Planet Discovered - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

troutman · 01-25-2006, 03:38 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/200601...tingnormalstar

The planet and star are separated by about 2.5 astronomical units (AU). One AU is equal to the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Until now, no small planet had been found farther than 0.15 au from its parent star.

The finding means planet hunters are one step closer to detecting their holy grail: a habitable Earth-like planet that can sustain liquid water and support life.

"We may predict with reasonable probability that microlensing will discover planets with masses like that of Earth at a similar distance from their stars and with comparable surface temperature," said study co-author Bohdan Paczynski from Princeton University.

Cowperson · 01-25-2006, 03:41 PM

And then I'll be able to go home.

Seriously, we live in remarkable times. With more to come.

Cowperson

Winsor_Pilates · 01-25-2006, 03:43 PM

I really hope we find Aliens in my lifetime. I wanna be around for that.

red '00 · 01-25-2006, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

I really hope we find Aliens in my lifetime. I wanna be around for that.

I'd bet my left...... arm, that we do. Something just tells me we aren't far away from some extreme break throughs with all that space stuff. It's just getting crazier and crazier.

Flame On · 01-25-2006, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowperson

And then I'll be able to go home.

Seriously, we live in remarkable times. With more to come.

Cowperson

lol
Cowpania with it's moon Bovinust would herald the return of their long lost traveller!
It will be interesting for fundamentalists for sure!

Incinerator · 01-25-2006, 03:52 PM

Star Wars! We're gonna invade this new Earth and alleviate our population problems! Send retiring old farts like Cowperson over there!

TheyCallMeBruce · 01-25-2006, 03:56 PM

So that's why the US Airforce just rolled out a new jet. We gotta get ready for the ETs.

Patek23 · 01-25-2006, 03:58 PM

Okay so heres a scenario for you:

It's 2045 by then we have spaceships capable of travelling the distance of a far off planet within 3 years there and back. Astronauts arrive on Planet X and discover a human like form that is heavily unevolved and very similar to the form of cavemen here on earth. What do you think the consequences of choices that Earth would make, would we consider these lessers as obviously they wont have the means to communicate and will take to us as predators/food is it ethical to kill them off for our mistakes on Earth so that we can have a chance at restarting. Is it to tempting for us to leave them to their own and take our own crash course?

ken0042 · 01-25-2006, 04:01 PM

I was excited about this, until I read more on CNN. The planet being as cold as Pluto and being 5.5 times the size of Earth to me makes it not very "Earth Like." And being 28,000 light years away sort of also put a damper of all of this.

I was hoping they said they found a planet around 1 AU away from the sun, that it's around the size of Earth, has water, and is less than 100 light years away. (less than 10 or 15 would be ultra cool- we could send a radio message to them.)

I suppose this is just baby steps.

troutman · 01-25-2006, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken0042

I was excited about this, until I read more on CNN. The planet being as cold as Pluto and being 5.5 times the size of Earth to me makes it not very "Earth Like." And being 28,000 light years away sort of also put a damper of all of this.

I was hoping they said they found a planet around 1 AU away from the sun, that it's around the size of Earth, has water, and is less than 100 light years away. (less than 10 or 15 would be ultra cool- we could send a radio message to them.)

I suppose this is just baby steps.

It's not this planet that is so interesting. The fact that they can soon discover the planet you are talking about is exciting. When that happens, how far away will it be? This planet is 28,000 light years away (impossibly far). Could we send a probe there in our life-times to look for life? You might be able to detect life (or water vapor) from Earth from the chemical signatures in the atmosphere.

As for Flaming Homer's scenario, mankind has demonstrated no qualms in the past about exterminating more "primitive" peoples. It's unlikely too that alien life will have a human form.

Cheese · 01-25-2006, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flaming Homer

Okay so heres a scenario for you:

It's 2045 by then we have spaceships capable of travelling the distance of a far off planet within 3 years there and back. Astronauts arrive on Planet X and discover a human like form that is heavily unevolved and very similar to the form of cavemen here on earth. What do you think the consequences of choices that Earth would make, would we consider these lessers as obviously they wont have the means to communicate and will take to us as predators/food is it ethical to kill them off for our mistakes on Earth so that we can have a chance at restarting. Is it to tempting for us to leave them to their own and take our own crash course?

They will think we are Gods and make up a religion about us.

Patek23 · 01-25-2006, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troutman

As for Flaming Homer's scenario, mankind has demonstrated no qualms in the past about exterminating more "primitive" peoples. It's unlikely too that alien life will have a human form.

Well if the planet is earth-like how could they be anything else? the only kind of thing that could cause them to have major difference would be major differences in the planet that would cause them to evolve differently, like for example if there were a different mixture of the air such as 78 % phosphorus and 21 % oxygen instead.

Patek23 · 01-25-2006, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheese

They will think we are Gods and make up a religion about us.

What if Jesus (if he existed) was an Alien!?!?!?!?!

ken0042 · 01-25-2006, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flaming Homer

Well if the planet is earth-like how could they be anything else?

What would have happened on Earth if the asteroid didn't wipe out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago? (assuming that theory is correct.) It was the fact that small mammals like rodents were allowed to flourish that brought about larger mammals.

Who is to say that on another Earth like planet the dinosaurs would have been wiped out?

Besides, if we do encounter another civilization, we would just follow The Prime Directive. (duh- don't you watch Star Trek?)

Patek23 · 01-25-2006, 04:41 PM

True, that was an oversight. I still maintain my opinion that Raptors would have been the primary species now adays if the extinction didnt happen, sure T-Rexs were bigger but Raptors were smarter and had "families" which are more "human" characteristics among the other animals. Cavemen wouldnt have stood a chance against Raptors.

red '00 · 01-25-2006, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flaming Homer

True, that was an oversight. I still maintain my opinion that Raptors would have been the primary species now adays if the extinction didnt happen, sure T-Rexs were bigger but Raptors were smarter and had "families" which are more "human" characteristics among the other animals. Cavemen wouldnt have stood a chance against Raptors.

Raptors were also the size or turkies and had feathers. Also not nearly as smart as shown in movies (smart, just not THAT smart).

Sparks · 01-25-2006, 05:05 PM

Quote:

So that's why the US Airforce just rolled out a new jet. We gotta get ready for the ETs.

Quick! We need to mass produce several tonnes of Reece's Pieces!

Patek23 · 01-25-2006, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by red '00

Raptors were also the size or turkies and had feathers. Also not nearly as smart as shown in movies (smart, just not THAT smart).

Depends which kind of Raptor were talking about the one you bring up (Microraptors found in China) are a smaller breed like a Chiuwawa in the Dog family were as Dromaeosaurus' (found right here in Alberta) were slightly lager than wolves and vicious predators that were extremely light on their feet and like said before were highly aggresive. Then there is the one that every knows of most from Jurrasic Park the Velociraptor which hunted in packs and used highly strategic hunting methods, they were also one of the larger raptors but also the quickest and one of the most powerful.

I don't claim to be an expert but if you were to put up a caveman against even the microraptor I'd still go with the microraptor....

Sidney Crosby's Hat · 01-25-2006, 05:14 PM

Rocky surface, temperature of -220... sounds like Thunder Bay if you ask me!

Cube Inmate · 01-25-2006, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flaming Homer

It's 2045 by then we have spaceships capable of travelling the distance of a far off planet within 3 years there and back.

3 years for the astronauts, or 3 years for us here on Earth? The first one might be possible regardless of the distance (relativity and all that jazz, although I suppose acceleration might be a problem)...the second one, not so much given that the nearest star is over 4 light years away.

Yess, I'm a

We'd not only respect those primitive animals, we'd draw up an "ET's bill of rights" and drop it in on them...if it's Canadians going.