Actually, I guess they discovered it a few years back, but an "expert" team of international astronomers just released the discovery of a new exoplanet (a planet within our galaxy, but in a different solar system) near Gliese 581 (a red star). The planet (simply known as Gliese 581c [being the second body near the star]) is about 1 and 1/2 times larger than our planet, but only takes roughly 10 days to orbit the red star. A team of "astrobiologists" explain that the planet rests within the "Goldilock Zone," an area in accordance to a star which is the perfect distance for water vapor on the planet to niether boil (too close to the star) nor freeze (too far away) but can instead turn into liquid and cover the planet, thereby allowing the perfect conditions for life to begin. The planet is about 20 light years away. The solar system is one of the oldest in our galaxy, so if life does exist on this planet, it's had many, many, many, many, many, many, many years to evolve. Hopefully, by 2020, a shuttle will be launched in its direction.


*PROBLEMS:

Of all the sites and news clippings I've come across, none can really seem to agree on the specifics. Some say the star is a red dwarf, while others say red giant, and some say the planet is vastly larger than our planet, while another says it's just slightly larger. Some also say it takes 10 days, 14 days, one even said 10 years! for it to orbit the star. Most seem to say the plaent is 20 - 25 light years away, but one said 50!

Anywho, here's some sites:
Found 20 light years away: the New Earth | the Daily Mail
ESA - Space Science - Discovery of new planet similar to Earth
CNN.com - Earth-like planet discovered 50 light-years away - Aug 26, 2004
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070425/...bitable_planet

sweet. what's the travelling time for that kind of distance in earth years?

Is Wal Mart already building stores on there?

Well if it's 20 light years away...if we could travel at the speed of light it would take 20 years. I think. It's been a while since I took physics.

Anywho, read one of those articles before about this. Fairly interesting. I mean it's a great big universe out there. How could there not be other planets with life on them?

i was off to work and thought someone might have worked it out before i came back. so... using the approximate values available to me through the interweb.... here goes.

the speed of light is 670,616,629.384 Miles per hour in a vacuum.

so allowing for 24 hours a day, 365 days in a year, and taking 20 years at the speed of light

and if my calculations are correct, its

117,492,033,468,076.8 miles away.

the space shuttle has to travel at a speed of 17,500mph to break orbit. if it was to continue at this speed...

(this is the tricky bit... thank god for premade java speed/distance/time calculators.)

it would take...

6713830483 hours 53 minutes and 24 seconds

so, if i take the approximate 6713830484 hours, it'd take ... 766,420 years



yeah, thats alot of approximation, but hey. it's an idea.

Are we there yet?

stephen halwkins better put in some serious ot on this one.

steven hawking.

that's what i said

That is not "Stephen Hawking"

do limeys get off on correcting people or is it just a personal habit?

im just fucking with you, slim nuts. i really dont care. how's yur momma?

I love you Pyrric......best insult I've heard all day.

And I love you too Tozzy.......now add me on Myspace, slim nuts. lol

not a personal habit, and i dont get off on it either. my 'momma' is fine thanks.

i'm not adding anyone on myspace any more. and my profile has gone to private. some fuckwad with an issue with me keeps hounding my flash whiteboard with stupid imagery. i can't be fucked to put up with it or try find out who or why so i just stuck it on private and i'm leaving it.

Yeah, it would be impractical to send a probe thataways. It'd just save time to wait until we find a way to circumvent the speed of life, or at the very least approach it.