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Ear to the Ground

Scientists Find ‘Habitable’ Planet

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Posted on Apr 25, 2007
planet
eso.org

Planet 581c orbits its sun about 20 light-years from our solar system.

A team of scientists has discovered what could be the first habitable planet outside the solar system. More information is needed before an accurate assessment can be made, but researchers have suggested that planet 581c has a temperature range of between 32 and 104 degrees, and could contain vast quantities of liquid water.

One scientist said of the discovery: “On the treasure map of the universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X.”


AP via Yahoo:

WASHINGTON—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.

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.

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By DennisD, April 25, 2007 at 11:31 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

If the oil companies thought oil was there - they’d be there in five years or less at the tax payers expense.

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By DrMatt22, April 25, 2007 at 10:43 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Dear Lord!  Someone needs to make this story go away quick.  Go kidnap the guys running the telescope that found this planet and ship ‘em to Antartica or rural Ohio or something. Otherwise, Bush and Cheney are going to want to see if “there’s oil in them there planet 581c’s hills”, or “Shooter [that’s what Bush call’s Cheney], this whole middle east thing ain’t workin’ out and Blair has gone ‘Nancy Boy’ on us, so I think you, me, and Rummy…yeah, let’s see what he’s up to…should go visit this 581c and see about black gold”...etc., etc.

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By CaesarTheDay, April 25, 2007 at 6:40 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

We can’t put Bush, Cheney, Alberto or Carl on the next space shuttle out to the new world. We want to communicate to the universe that we’re a planet of INTELLIGENT beings. Just think of the possibilities if they reached a civilization. With their power of spin, they would convert them to Christianity, pollute the planet and start a unilateral intergalactic war.

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By PaulMagillSmith, April 25, 2007 at 5:21 pm #

I wouldn’t get in a tizzy over this. Just think…if there are an infinite number of stars with planets there are an infinite number with habitable climate, oxygen atmospheres, liquid water, and even advanced life forms…taken to the extreme there are even people who look just like you & me there, and they are inquisitively looking back at us right now.

Carl Sagan has already dealt with this subject (long before he died…great loss for us all). Even with the existing resources available (greatly dimished even since his death) there wouldn’t be enough material to send but a few select people to another planet, EVEN IN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM!

We might be able to send seed stock, but billions of us are stuck here with what we’ve got, so we need to make the most of it.

Since Duh-bya is so intent on being a monarchial tyrant let’s make him the King of Mars (“One way ticket, please”). My apologies to the Martians LOL.

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By QuyTran, April 25, 2007 at 3:16 pm #

How about sending all the members of Bush/Cheney and their servants in the House & Senate to this unnamed planet ? But don’t forget to hold all their fortunes they make during their tenures as national destroyers.

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By Joshua Antonetti, April 25, 2007 at 1:28 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Even if the planet is habitable we dont have the technology to travel to it in a human lifetime.  We should be developing transportation before we start looking trillions of miles away for a planet we cant get to.

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By Mike Zacchino, April 25, 2007 at 12:58 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

First it will need people.  Then it will need democracy.  Let’s put George, Dick, Carl, Condie and Alberto on the next shuttle and get the process rolling.

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By joe73072, April 25, 2007 at 12:12 pm #

‘liquid water’? do you mean liquid h2o?
i thought water was the liquid form of h2o…silly me

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By Outraged, April 25, 2007 at 11:21 am #

I have to say there are some pretty big “ifs” in this story.  It’s great that we’re looking though.  The thing about it is, if it would be habitable, we humans would make short work of that.

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By GW=MCHammered, April 25, 2007 at 10:50 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

120 Trillion sounds like a lot until you think of it in terms of the Cost of War or the National Debt… suddenly it’s utterly manageable. Ugh!

Suppose TruthDig will sponsor a relativistic cruise to ‘Habitable’ one day? Book a few science/skeptic lecturers and workshops too. Talk about a celestial edu-vacation from Earth’s geo-politico incubus. Hey, what if the world really is what we make of it?

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