Welcome to the family, Planet X.

[kevyn]

Well, it's FINALLY happened.

Scientists today announce Earth-like planet discovered 20.5 light years away.

Planet X orbits Gliese 581, a red star relatively close to us. And the planet may be the first truly Earth-like planet to have been found outside our Solar System.

And get this: It may have a relatively similar climate, and even be covered by water.

Could there be life? Or potential for colonisation?

One thing's for sure: were I to live long enough for homo sapiens to travel there, I could not go. It's 1.5 times the Earth's diameter, and has a mass 5 times greater. The gravity would be double... and I would weigh almost 800 pounds! A human body couldn't handle that.

But for life that evolved there, it would be a completely different story.

I sure hope this holds up under scientific scrutiny. Another Earthlike planet. Incredible.

Comments

Ex Astris Scientia!

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

20.5 years at c. A round-trip is completely doable within a human lifespan if we could get going fast enough.

If there's life there... yay!

If there's not life there, oh well... yay!

I think homo sapiens has some of its best days ahead of it, if we can just outgrow this adolescent self-destructiveness.

To colonise other worlds... Gene Roddenberry would have loved this.

Re: Ex Astris Scientia!

[canismajor3.livejournal.com]

lol. It's only the matter of getting up to those speeds. Hell, at 20.5 ly, the person travelling only ages like 4 years or something like that. If you can get going the speed of light. ^__^


If.


^_^

Science certainly has some great days ahead of itself. I hope the rest of us do too! :DD

*dances in excitement!!!*

Re: Ex Astris Scientia!

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

Let's say they only have to fly .75 c. A round trip would still probably be possible within a human lifespan. Young scientists sent in their teens, for sure. Be a hell of a life's work.

Re: Ex Astris Scientia!

[canismajor3.livejournal.com]

OOh! Oooh!! MEEEEEE! Pick me!!!!!

Re: Ex Astris Scientia!

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

You know, there's always cryogenics, too...

Re: Ex Astris Scientia!

[kadyg.livejournal.com]

Or. If you picked some very bright grad students andshipped them off, they would be middle aged when they landed. According to my Ph.D father-in-law, those are the most productive years of all. And they would have the trip to study and what not.

Ooooo the excitement!

Re: Ex Astris Scientia!

[canismajor3.livejournal.com]

....definately. :D