From Associated Press
By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer
For the first time astronomers have discovered a planet outside our solar system that is potentially habitable, with Earth-like temperatures, a find researchers described Tuesday as a big step in the search for "life in the universe."
The planet is just the right size, might have water in liquid form, and in galactic terms is relatively nearby at 120 trillion miles away. But the star it closely orbits, known as a "red dwarf," is much smaller, dimmer and cooler than our sun.
The planet is just the right size, might have water in liquid form, and in galactic terms is relatively nearby at 120 trillion miles away. But the star it closely orbits, known as a "red dwarf," is much smaller, dimmer and cooler than our sun.
There's still a lot that is unknown about the new planet, which could be deemed inhospitable to life once more is known about it. And it's worth noting that scientists' requirements for habitability count Mars in that category: a size relatively similar to Earth's with temperatures that would permit liquid water. However, this is the first outside our solar system that meets those standards.
My Comments:
This is an exciting find! Though, I don't think because this planet have all requirements/parameters to support life on it (where conditions are favorable for the creation of life such as water, temperature, atmosphere) means it actually does have life (or maybe did have life)! Wasn't Mars also one of those planets, "Earthlike" planets, that fulfilled all the requirements and no life was founded there YET!? This is all, of course, assuming that extra terrestrial life has the exact same requirements as terrestrial life!!
Plus.. at over 100 trillion light-years away from us, and with our current forms of transportation and technologies, I don't see that we can reach the new planet anytime soon in a human lifetime!
I read some more fact about it like; this new planet doesn't revolve around itself and takes about 13 days to revolve around its Sun, Gliese 581. Speaking of which... this sun is a red star, and is less energetic than our sun, but it is believed that it is able to sustain some sort of energy enough for life to occur on its planets!
Scientist think it would take as much as 20 years from now to know for sure if there is life on it!
Should something happen to earth in the future, far far future, then this planet might come in handy then :-P
Plus.. at over 100 trillion light-years away from us, and with our current forms of transportation and technologies, I don't see that we can reach the new planet anytime soon in a human lifetime!
I read some more fact about it like; this new planet doesn't revolve around itself and takes about 13 days to revolve around its Sun, Gliese 581. Speaking of which... this sun is a red star, and is less energetic than our sun, but it is believed that it is able to sustain some sort of energy enough for life to occur on its planets!
Scientist think it would take as much as 20 years from now to know for sure if there is life on it!
Should something happen to earth in the future, far far future, then this planet might come in handy then :-P
2 comments:
Read bout this on cnn.com this mornin...this whole idea of life on another planet always excites me...
In Jodie Foster's movie CONTACT, in the beginning she, as a young girl, ask her father if there was anyone else out there, he says: "if not, it would be an awful waste of space."
I loved that statement!
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