Earth like planet found. Your reactions?

[lacktheknack]

The religious implications are going to be fun to watch. Lets see what the Vatican does here.

Well... chances are there isn't any life anyway. No response required, then.

 

[Madara XIII]

Ahem.....OMFG!!! Cthulhu is reeeeeeeeeal we all gonna diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie!!!!

*Runs away*

 

[Saltyk]

How can you prove or disprove something you can't possibly test?

By smoking a single cigarette, looking at the camera, and saying

"Ya, well, prove my theory wrong *****"

That is how I do it.

Lol. I'll try that the next time someone asks me anything.

Technically worm holes are faster than light because you get there before light would, thus faster than light.

We need FTL travel...too bad it won't happen in my lifetime =(

Hold out hope a little longer, I'm working on figuring that out.

That wormhole part was a joke. I probably should have clarified. I highly doubt we will ever discover a way to creat wormholes IF they could even be used to travel such distances. Tons of factors. How do you create it? How do you control where you exit? How do you make the entrance and exit collapse? How do you keep it stable? How much energy would it require? You get the picture.

Keep in mind there are other problems with space travel. Living space. Boredom. Food. Water. About a billion things in the universe that would want to destroy you, your ship, and the hot green skinned alien girl you just met.

I'm not saying its impossible. Just improbable. At least, with our current level of technology.

The improbability drive is always an option, along with warp technology of some sort.

The problem is that those run on unobtainium! You know how hard that stuff is to find?

 

[lacktheknack]

My response is more to the title: "dibs"

Ah! You *****.

But anyway, wasn't Mars originally an Earthlike planet?

So is Venus, technically. Mars is too far away (too freaking cold), Venus is too close (too freaking hot). I don't think this is anything like Mars.

 

[neoontime]

I can tell that Mars is getting a little jealous.

 

[Baron Von Evil Satan]

Well then, time to go secure it in the name of the God Emperor. Who is with me!?

I am by your side.

But who shall be our God Emperor?

Leto II of course.

 

[crimsonshrouds]

as exiting as this discovery is, I must be downer and remind every one that this planet is at best probably a super-massive "super-Earth" class planet, and a worst a "warm-Neptune" type. As the mass of this new planet isnt stated in the article, so I'm assuming it is like every other planet we have yet found and posses a mass many times that of earth; the only way you would be able to take a stroll on this planet is with the aid of a powered exo-skeleton.

Thank you for stating what i was wanting to state. here's a cookie as thanks [spoiler/][img/]http://www.dmreligious.org/userdocs/news/cookie.jpg[/img][/spoiler]

now on another note. Why are people bringing religion into this. I get that most of you are atheists but the way you people go on. It sounds like you are trying to prove more to yourselves that god does not exist.

Being agnostic and not really siding in these arguements. This is just my observation.

 

[Madara XIII]

If there isn't already a civilization or two there let's colonize the hell out of that planet!
If there is let's attempt to get friendly with them and hope they don't have the technology to wipe us all out.

I fear the consequences that would result if man ever extended his disgusting reach and inhabitation beyond this planet......Just saying, "We all F**ked"

 

[Wintermute_]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100929/ap_on_sc/us_sci_new_earths via Associated Press.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have officially found a planet that has the possibilities to support life much like there is here on our own blue rock. This opens a whole new door on humanities view of the universe, and may begin to give us an idea of just how many life supporting planets there may be out there right now. So, in light of this news, what are your reactions? Do you think this planet harbors life? Will we ever make contact with them if it does, or perhaps be able to spread to this new world?

Meh. Its damn near impossible for humanity to reach it, at least not for billions upon billions of years, if we make it that long. And really, so what? We can't effectively colonize it because its horribly un-economical. It will sit there and be forgotten. If there life? Again, Meh...
Drakes equation is probably right. In an infinite universe, do you really think we're all there is?
Why the hell don't we colonize and terraform planets in our solar system instead? But honestly (and it pains my sci-fi loving self to say this) interplanetary space colonization will NEVER HAPPEN. It a cool idea, but there are to many variables and problems that would take so much work to overcome, it just won't economically hold up. This planet means nil.

 

[Baron Von Evil Satan]

well what happens when you get to the speed of light is it takes more and more energy as an object grows in mass at high speeds. This effectivly means that it would take an infinite amount of energy to move a single atom to light speed. It is one of the only impossible things.

Exactly my point. Thank you for clarifing it.

you are welcome kind sir. =)

 

[Eumersian]

No surprises, honestly.

 

[grimsprice]

My first reaction.

20 LIGHT YEARS @#$@#$%#@$%@#$#@%@#$%#@$^#$%^%^&%$!

LETS GO THERE RIGHT FUCKING NOW.

you think light years means it would take 20 light years to get there

I am getting fucking sick of this

light years means how long it takes light to travel in year we are no where close to being able to move the speed of light in fact if einstine is right (he could be wrong) it is impossible to travel the speed of light so in order to get there we would have to create a generational ship but that logistics of that are probably out of reach when we are focused on building bigger bombs to blow up brown and yellow people.

Hahahaha. "I am getting fucking sick of this". How much more condescending can you be? Why don't you try assuming i'm not scientifically illiterate and actually read what i wrote. I'll say it again with more words to help you out.

"20 LIGHT YEARS @#$@#$%#@$%@#$#@%@#$%#@$^#$%^%^&%$!"

There are only a couple dozen star systems closer, making Gilese in our cosmic back yard.

"LETS GO THERE RIGHT FUCKING NOW!"

Because it would be totally feasible to send a probe there decked out with mass spectrometers, atmospheric penetrating radar systems, landing probes, and a high powered radio antennae.

With sufficient fuel on board, a probe with ion drive engines could get to Gilese in 3-4 centuries. With those kinds of time restraints, which we will conceivably always have, why not send one now?

We certainly wouldn't get any data back from hit, but a few centuries from now, human civilization would certainly enjoy the information.

So, no, you're not the only person on the escapist with a modicum of scientific literacy.

 

[Baron Von Evil Satan]

Sweet.

My reaction is we will not ever have the resources to reach it.

 

[Death God]

That'd be awesome but we'll not know for quite some time. They'll test it for years to come then decide that something isn't right then test again for another few years.

 

[senataur]

The problem is that is a theory. I can theorize that you are a cat. That doesn't make it true. Sometimes, I really hate scientists. They seem to watch sci-fi and then try to come up with reasons that it IS possible. Can't they stick to things we can actually prove.

Case in point. The multiverse theory. Yeah, that is a real theory. My problem with it? It's completely untestable. How can you prove or disprove something you can't possibly test?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiverse

The same could be said of string theory. The multi-verse theory is a good explanation of many of the behaviors of quantum mechanics. Some theories, while still unproven, are a lot more likely than others.

 

[wolfboy23]

order jimmy john's to be delivered there. bet you they get it there in under 30 minutes.

 

[RelexCryo]

My first reaction.

20 LIGHT YEARS @#$@#$%#@$%@#$#@%@#$%#@$^#$%^%^&%$!

LETS GO THERE RIGHT FUCKING NOW.

"But there are still many unanswered questions about this strange planet. It is about three times the mass of Earth, slightly larger in width and much closer to its star ? 14 million miles away versus 93 million. It's so close to its version of the sun that it orbits every 37 days. And it doesn't rotate much, so one side is almost always bright, the other dark."

It would have 3 times the gravity of Earth. You would weigh three times what you do on Earth, and so would everything else. There is a good chance you would ruin your joints simply by regularly moving objects that are only moderate wieght on the planet Earth. Simply put, we could not colonize it. I guess we could send a probe though. But good luck getting it to escape the planet's gravity after landing.

 

[KeyMaster45]

The religious implications are going to be fun to watch. Lets see what the Vatican does here.

The Vatican already came out and said they were cool with aliens.(can't tell you the specifics but I'll google it and get back to ya) so there's really not much for them to react to.

Being a catholic myself I think its foolish to think only our little ball of dirt was of divine creation; I think universe is evidence itself of that. Though I'm probably going to be attacked for even saying that much. I've never seen why I can't have a religious and scientific point of view, in fact I'd go so far as to say science actually strengthens what faith I have.

Call me backward or ignorant if you must I kinda stopped caring a long time ago when I realized having a religion put you in the minority on the web.

Well then, time to go secure it in the name of the God Emperor. Who is with me!?

The Imperium? Bah! The Blood Ravens shall claim and purge this new planet and crush all who stand in our way!

-EDIT-
Found it: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802629.htm

So ok, it's not exactly the pope standing on his balcony making the announcement "LET ET PHONE HOME!!" ....that actually would be pretty funny to watch come to think of it. It's just a priest who works for the vatican in its astronomy department. Still it shows they've already decided how to handle the implications of actual discovered life elsewhere in the universe.

 

[griffinmills]

Great this will be one of the first planets to checkout when I discover FTL travel, but I think I've heard of this gliese before so I guess this information isn't really new.

The sad part is that it is impossible to accelerate faster than the speed of light. From my understanding, it would require more energy than there exists in the universe to attain that speed. And twice as much to slow down.

No, we need to find a way to create wormholes or use whatever they did in Outlaw Star to travel through the vacuum of space.

Still, this is cool news, but completely expected. Eventually anyway.

I'm surprised you didn't bring up how equally problematic it is simply accelerating TO the speed of light let alone FASTER than the speed of light.

Wormholes would be great! Or someway to warp reality around a space so as to change the "rules" regarding near, or faster than, light speed within that space.

If we could get to 1/2 of light speed we'd be to the planet in 40 years, lets get crackin!

 

[grimsprice]

My first reaction.

20 LIGHT YEARS @#$@#$%#@$%@#$#@%@#$%#@$^#$%^%^&%$!

LETS GO THERE RIGHT FUCKING NOW.

"But there are still many unanswered questions about this strange planet. It is about three times the mass of Earth, slightly larger in width and much closer to its star ? 14 million miles away versus 93 million. It's so close to its version of the sun that it orbits every 37 days. And it doesn't rotate much, so one side is almost always bright, the other dark."

It would have 3 times the gravity of Earth. You would weigh three times what you do on Earth, and so would everything else. There is a good chance you would ruin your joints simply by regularly moving objects that are only moderate wieght on the planet Earth. Simply put, we could not colonize it. I guess we could send a probe though. But good luck getting it to escape the planet's gravity after landing.

I meant go there with a probe.