Earth-like planet found

Valhalla · Profuse Pontificator

Earth-like planet found

fear of shiz · Profuse Pontificator

Very cool...

TitusTodd · Senior Member

I thought that news was interesting. However, after seeing what they got wrong about Titan (one of Saturn's moons) I wonder how accurate their information is. There is a lot more maybes and probablys to it than definites. Its too bad we can't check it out in person smile

. I think it was only a matter of time we would find a good candidate for a possible earthlike planet.

arbilad · Head Chef

I remember reading that their category of "earth-like" is fairly broad, and that Mars would fall into that category.

Cat Herder · Understander of unimportant things

The only sure way to tell is to invent warp drives and send a manned mission to the planet.

Any volunteers?

You will have the honor of claiming the planet in the name of Bountiful.

Orbiting a red dwarf, eh? Do you think it will be inhabited by a guy who was in stasis for a million years, the last member of a race of feline hominids descended from his pregnant cat, a hologram of the stuffed shirt who caused an accident killing off the rest of the crew, a neurotic AI with a huge IQ, and a ninny of a servile android?

Randy · Senior Member

Our earth is the largest of the rocky planets in our solar system. It would be fascinating to actually observe the characteristics (geology, topography, meteorology, oceanography) of a larger, rocky planet that falls in that liquid water zone. Too bad that isn't going to happen in the near foreseeable future.

Cocobeem · Keeper of the Holy Grail

What kind of pessimist are you? Of course it is.

Randy · Senior Member

Cocobeem, what do you know about observations of distant planets that I don't know?

We don't even know the topography of Pluto yet, let alone that of planets light years away.

The technology to get a robot to the planet in question in less than many thousands of years does not exist, and there is no technology in sight to make that happen. The astronomical equipment that we have is not adequate to the task of observing any but the most general details about the distant planet, and there is no technology in sight to improve that.

If by "foreseeable" you mean that a technique will make itself known in the near future that no one yet knows any realistic details about, then I understand your point even if I disagree. Kind of like H.G. Wells foreseeing travel to the moon I suppose, although the method that his story used (anti-gravity) still doesn't exist, and there are no prospects for it. Jules Verne's technique to get to the moon (shoot a big bullet to the moon) would have resulted in three dead astronauts at the launch. But I suppose you could say they foresaw travel to the moon, even though the methods they proposed were incorrect. Had they described a Saturn V rocket, that would have been some real foreseeing.

Cocobeem · Keeper of the Holy Grail

"Cocobeem, what do you know about observations of distant planets that I don't know?"

Honestly, I don't know Jack Squat. I was kidding witchya.

But seriously, I bet most people in 1929 didn't think walking on the moon was only 40 years out... Did you watch the Shift Happens video that was posted? We're getting so dang smart, we're like gonna' know more by lunch tomorrow than we've known since the Garden of Eden! What's the word? Ex-po-nen-tial.

Dude. evileye

-- Edited by Cocobeem at 11:54, 2007-04-25

Randy · Senior Member

Certainly I've been wrong before. In 1962, I read a children's book (go easy on me, I was a child then) that proposed that men might walk on the moon during my lifetime.

I didn't believe it possible.

Why a seven-year-old thinks he has a right to form opinions on such a matter is another topic.

And frankly, since I was a young adult, I did not believe it would be possible to detect (let alone map) planets beyond our solar system. Cause they're just so darn far away.

That's why I used the word "foreseeable."

Oh well.

-- Edited by Randy at 12:02, 2007-04-25

Cocobeem · Keeper of the Holy Grail

Some people's foresight are longer than others'.

Randy · Senior Member

Yeah, but I did specifically identify the length of the foresight in the post with which you disagreed. biggrin

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

It's not the size of the foresight that matters, it's how you use it.

--Ray

Cocobeem · Keeper of the Holy Grail

Well then, you can't be held accountable, can you?

Randy · Senior Member

Cocobeem wrote:

"Cocobeem, what do you know about observations of distant planets that I don't know?"

Honestly, I don't know Jack Squat.

Honestly, me either.

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

Here's a question...

If you were given an opportunity to fly to one of these planets, let's say in stasis, would you go?

Pt314 · Senior Member

The planet probably has comfortable temperatures overall, but it is probably tidal locked with its sun, making it always day on one side, and always night on the other. Not to mention its gravity is at least 50% more than Earth's, which I would think would be rough to live with. Oh well, who cares, this is the best planet yet. biggrin

Pt314 · Senior Member

rayb wrote:

Here's a question...

If you were given an opportunity to fly to one of these planets, let's say in stasis, would you go?

If my life here was too boring, maybe.

Cat Herder · Understander of unimportant things

Pt314 wrote:

rayb wrote:

Here's a question...

If you were given an opportunity to fly to one of these planets, let's say in stasis, would you go?

If my life here was too boring, maybe.

Who's to say we aren't all just in stasis chambers now traveling on a space ship to some distant planet having some sort of combined stasis dream ala Outer Limits / Stargate...

fear of shiz · Profuse Pontificator

Great. Another conspiracy theory...

Cocobeem · Keeper of the Holy Grail

I'd totally go, man!! Umm... what's statis? Is that where you come back and everyone has aged but you??

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

Yeah. Some kind of hibernation in which you don't age during the trip. otherwise you'd probably be too old and would die before you got to any of these places... they're so far away... even travelling at the speed of light.

--Ray

glumirk · Senior Member

Plus, in the time it took you to travel there, the thousands of years or whatever, don't you think the better technology would be developed by then? After 20 years or so you'd have people passing you for sure while you are just lying there dormant for a thousand years. I think I'd rather live my life, thank you. No need to keep my spirit attached to my body when I can't progress at all for that length of time. Earth is serving it's purpose perfectly for me at this time.

Pretty cool to think about the future though.

-- Edited by glumirk at 09:33, 2007-04-26

salesortonscom · Wise and Revered Master

I remember reading a sci fi short story years ago about an expedition to another planet. It was going to take years for the scientific crew to reach there. When they got there, they found the planet fully colonized and that travel only took a few days instead of nearly half a lifetime when they left. They had been getting passed by other ships for years and no one bothered to stop and tell them that technology had passed them by. Personally, I can't wait to travel to another planet. I hear the bug hunting is great!

"The only good bugs a dead bug." Starship troopers

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

There was an episode of Babylon 5 like that too... in which a ship with suspended people arrives at the station... only it's carrying something else... a shadow warrior which reaks havoc... I think Sheri Bellafonte was the guest in that one...

--Ray

Mahonri · Senior Bucketkeeper

rayb wrote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a question...

If you were given an opportunity to fly to one of these planets, let's say in stasis, would you go?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who are you going to send with me?

salesortonscom · Wise and Revered Master

I would go if I could take my family and we didn't age while in stasis. Nothing is worse than going into stasis as a young man and coming out as a geezer.

Cat Herder · Understander of unimportant things

How about if you could go into stasis as a geezer (or a 40 something-ish) and come back out in your physical prime of the early twenties?

And, if you could take your family with you, how about if all your kids that have gotten past the cute stage and are into the difficult years would come out all grown-ded up and practically perfect in every way? That would be a double!

arbilad · Head Chef

If I was single, I'd go even if I knew it'd be a one way trip. As a married man, however, I'd only go if my wife and kids agreed, and I knew that we could later return if we wanted.