Stephan Hawking once said "I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space." I was really happy to hear about this news today when astronomers have found the most Earth-like planet outside our Solar System. The planet,
Gliese 581 c, orbits the faint star Gliese 581, which is 20.5 light-years away in the constellation Libra. It appears to be in the habitable zone of space surrounding the star, where the surface temperatures of any planets present might maintain liquid water and therefore be suitable for life as we know it.
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Now to figure out how to travel 20.5 light years in a matter of months, just in case it isn't it is too good to be true. Of coure, science says travelling 20.5x the speed of light is never going to happen unless we can find wormholes or something.
I was really hoping to be the first one to virtually travel there... But look there! Justin is first to comment! :) Great find, Ilker!
that's an amazing discovery! Is this new or did you just find it today?
I wonder how they would figure out what the habitable zone is, considering there are many factors affecting a planet's ability to support life.
It makes me glad that they named our planet earth even though it is strange enough. Living on Gliese would be weirder and how is that pronounced by the way??
Wonder if THEY have discovered us yet =?
Hehehe, what would happen to earth people if we visit one of the planet? Hope, I'll be alive by then to see the day...PEACE!
Stephan Hawking once said "I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space."
I remember that. It was his pickup line
you know what...being the geek of all geeks....I've wondered about that for the longest time. No Kidding. And I've also wondered if some human-like creatures living in an earth-like planet wonders the same about us. Yeah, I really do think deep sometimes. It scares people.
Great post by the way!
@2Perfect: Yes this is quite new! Here is a quote from Wikipedia:
"The discovery of the planet by the team of Stéphane Udry of the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland was announced on April 24, 2007. The team has released a paper dated April 27, 2007 which will be published in an edition of the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics."
The best we can do at this point is send probes. There's currently no way we can send humans to visit there, but we could at least send probes. I think in 20 years we could have developed fast enough travel where the trip could be done in 50 years. And if the planet harbors life, or could harbor life, and the star will be around for a considerable amount of time it could be a great secondary home for mankind. But good luck getting politicians and the like to actually give a rats ass about something potentially amazing as this. We're too concerned with blowing the crap out of each other to bother with learning about our own planet, the solar system, and other solar systems. The fact that we know less about our oceans than we do about our solar system is in itself very disturbing.
The human race is the plague of the Earth... We spread, we polute, we drain the life of a place and move to another...
I hope you don't mind, but I really like this site, and would like to add the link to my page ....
By all means Lobo! =)
If there is intelligent life on that planet and they know about Earth, I guarantee you they're hoping like Hell that we never figure out a way to get there.
20.5 light years?
It might as well not exist, as far as our society is concerned.
First the people of the Earth have to unite and be at peace, then we can start solving these scientific "mega problems" such as faster than light travel. There STILL may not be enough money in the world to actually do it.
As long as we don't destroy that planet too!
SMD:
Are you serious? If you were a politician, you would push for funding to develop space crafts that travel at the speed of light? For what purpose?
Contrariwise your comment about the oceans is right on...that always amazes me that we can fly to the moon (again, what purpose does it serve), but comparatively, we don't know squat about our oceans here on our planet. Well I take that back...we do know that we can dump a crap-load of trash into them on a daily basis.
Has anyone considered the fact that the planet may already be inhabited. If so, we would be the invading aliens we all fear and make movies about.
What do you think? Post your thoughts..