Earth 2 found 20 light years away

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mrk

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mrk

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Scientists have discovered a warm and rocky "second Earth" circling a star, a find they believe dramatically boosts the prospects that we are not alone.

The planet is the most Earth-like ever spotted and is thought to have perfect conditions for water, an essential ingredient for life. Researchers detected the planet orbiting one of Earth's nearest stars, a cool red dwarf called Gliese 581, 20 light years away in the constellation of Libra.

Measurements of the planet's celestial path suggest it is 1½ times the size of our home planet, and orbits close to its sun, with a year of just 13 days. The planet's orbit brings it 14 times closer to its star than Earth is to the sun. But Gliese 581 burns at only 3,000C, half the temperature of our own sun, making conditions on the planet comfortable for life, with average ground temperatures estimated at 0 to 40C. Researchers claim the planet is likely to have an atmosphere. The discovery follows a three-year search for habitable planets by the European Southern Observatory at La Silla in Chile.

"We wouldn't be surprised if there is life on this planet," said Stephane Udry, an astronomer on the project at the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland.

Two years ago, the same team discovered a giant Neptune-sized planet orbiting Gliese 581. A closer look revealed the latest planetary discovery, along with a third, larger planet that orbits the star every 84 days. The planets have been named after their star, with the most earthlike called Gliese 581c. The team spotted the planet by searching the "habitable zone".
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This type of news is what I love, it means another day closer to actually finding life on another planet within our lifetime (which by the speed of astronomy today seems dead likely).
 
Unfortunately travelling at the speed of light will never be possible. The closer we get to those sort of speeds the greater our mass. At the speed of light we have infinite mass, try finding a thruster that can move and object with infinite mass. Not in our age.
 
Smithy said:
Unfortunately travelling at the speed of light will never be possible. The closer we get to those sort of speeds the greater our mass. At the speed of light we have infinite mass, try finding a thruster that can move and object with infinite mass. Not in our age.
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Is mass not relative to mavity?

I really shouldn't be poking this at someone who knows far more about this than me. :o
 
Two years ago, the same team discovered a giant Neptune-sized planet orbiting Gliese 581. A closer look revealed the latest planetary discovery, along with a third, larger planet that orbits the star every 84 days.
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Wouldn't it be great to go on holiday to another planet
 
WotDa said:
Is mass not relative to mavity?

I really shouldn't be poking this at someone who knows far more about this than me. :o
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mavity is relative to mass. But your thinking about weight, weight and mass are entirely different quantities.

Einstein can explain it better than me, try finding a decent article about E=MC^2, the theory of relativity. If you can understand the basics of that, you'll understand that light-speed travel will never be possible, as we'll need infinite energy for it.
 
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Smithy said:
mavity is relative to mass. But your thinking about weight, weight and mass are entirely different quantities.

Einstein can explain it better than me, try finding a decent article about E=MC^2, the theory of relativity. If you can understand the basics of that, you'll understand that light-speed travel will never be possible, as we'll need infinite energy for it.
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Dark Matter/Zero Point ?
 
How does light travel at that speed then? Something I’ve never quite grasped :( I am lead to believe as light has no mass therefore it should have an unlimited speed?

:o :D
 
Smithy said:
mavity is relative to mass. But your thinking about weight, weight and mass are entirely different quantities.

Einstein can explain it better than me, try finding a decent article about E=MC^2, the theory of relativity. If you can understand the basics of that, you'll understand that light-speed travel will never be possible, as we'll need infinite energy for it.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Will have a look tonight. :)
 
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