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Astronomers have discovered their "holy grail" - a planet capable of supporting life outside our solar system.
New 'life in space' hope after billions of 'habitable planets' found in Milky Way Photo: NASA
The planet lies in what they describe as a 'habitable zone', neither too near its sun to dry out or too far away which freezes it.
And the discovery could help answer the question of whether we are alone in the universe, which has been plagued astronomers and alien fanatics for years.
Scientists found the planet, Gliese 667Cc, orbiting around a red dwarf star, 22 light years away from the earth.
Red dwarf stars are the most common stars in the neighbourhood of the sun, usually hosting planets called gas giants, which are not composed of rock matter.
Re-analysing data from the European Southern Observatory, the astronomers found Gliese 667Cc is a solid planet with roughly four and a half times the mass of Earth.
The University Göttingen and University of California scientists have calculated the planet recieves ten per cent less light from its red dwarf star than the Earth gets from the Sun.
As the light is in the infrared area, the planet still receives nearly the same amount of energy as the Earth, meaning water could be liquid and surface temperatures could be similar to ours.
Astronomers are hailing the plant as the 'Holy Grail' of discoveries, as 20 years ago scientists were still arguing about the existence of planets beyond our solar system.
Since the discovery of the first extrasolar planet in 1995, astronomers have confirmed the existence of more than 760 planets beyond the solar system, with only four believed to be in a habitable zone.
One of the most successful tools of planet hunters is the High Accuracy Radial Planetary Searcher (HARPS) telescope, which measures the radial velocity of a star.
Scientists using this telescope analyse the small wobbles in a stars motion caused by the gravitational response of a planet, determining the position and size of a planet indirectly.
Currently, they can detect planets which are 3-5 times the mass of the Earth but, in the future, they could detect planets which are smaller than twice the mass of Earth.
Steven Vogt, an astronomer from the University of California, said: "It´s the Holy Grail of exo-planet research to find a planet orbiting around a star at the right distance so it´s not too close where it would lose all its water and not too far where it would freeze.
"It´s right there in the habitable zone - there´s no question or discussion about it. It is not on the edge. It is right in there."
Guillem Anglada-Escudé, of University Göttingen, Germany, said: "With the advent of new generation of instruments, researchers will be able to survey many dwarf stars for similar planets and eventually look for spectroscopic signatures of life in one of these worlds."
Whitey, not cynacism, just stupidity on your part.
We realize that you don't like science or pointy headed scientists. And are so proud of your willfull ignorance.
Being only 22 light years from Earth, this means if we could find signs of intelligent life, at least they will be sort of 'real time' and available versus 'billions' of light years in distance and time.
Intelligent life on Earth has only existed since when...the late 1800's or early 1900's? This means the detectable time period of intelligent life on Earth is only about 100-125 years. What we don't yet know is how long we can sustain intelligent life on Earth? Maybe we annihilate ourselves by 2100 or 2200.
The chances of exploring a planet 2 billion light years away, and detecting a 200-300 year period of time when intelligent life might have appeared, is unfathomable to me.
However, detecting intelligent life on a planet only 22 light years from Earth, should be a bit easier. I'm thinking the variables might be when the planet was formed, how long it took for intelligent life to evolve, and how much they might be parallel to Earth's evolution? We can send a message to them and get an answer in only 44 years!
We probably need to be looking for something other than intelligent life because of the odds of achieving this. I don't know what they might be but seems like searching for CO2 or oxygen or temperature or H2O should be the first detection followed by looking for signs of intelligent life...
Being only 22 light years from Earth, this means if we could find signs of intelligent life, at least they will be sort of 'real time' and available versus 'billions' of light years in distance and time.
Intelligent life on Earth has only existed since when...the late 1800's or early 1900's? This means the detectable time period of intelligent life on Earth is only about 100-125 years. What we don't yet know is how long we can sustain intelligent life on Earth? Maybe we annihilate ourselves by 2100 or 2200.
The chances of exploring a planet 2 billion light years away, and detecting a 200-300 year period of time when intelligent life might have appeared, is unfathomable to me.
However, detecting intelligent life on a planet only 22 light years from Earth, should be a bit easier. I'm thinking the variables might be when the planet was formed, how long it took for intelligent life to evolve, and how much they might be parallel to Earth's evolution? We can send a message to them and get an answer in only 44 years!
We probably need to be looking for something other than intelligent life because of the odds of achieving this. I don't know what they might be but seems like searching for CO2 or oxygen or temperature or H2O should be the first detection followed by looking for signs of intelligent life...
Being only 22 light years from Earth, this means if we could find signs of intelligent life, at least they will be sort of 'real time' and available versus 'billions' of light years in distance and time.
Intelligent life on Earth has only existed since when...the late 1800's or early 1900's? This means the detectable time period of intelligent life on Earth is only about 100-125 years. What we don't yet know is how long we can sustain intelligent life on Earth? Maybe we annihilate ourselves by 2100 or 2200.
The chances of exploring a planet 2 billion light years away, and detecting a 200-300 year period of time when intelligent life might have appeared, is unfathomable to me.
However, detecting intelligent life on a planet only 22 light years from Earth, should be a bit easier. I'm thinking the variables might be when the planet was formed, how long it took for intelligent life to evolve, and how much they might be parallel to Earth's evolution? We can send a message to them and get an answer in only 44 years!
We probably need to be looking for something other than intelligent life because of the odds of achieving this. I don't know what they might be but seems like searching for CO2 or oxygen or temperature or H2O should be the first detection followed by looking for signs of intelligent life...
You send your message and 44 years later you get the response, "a/s/l what are you wearing?"
Now what?
Being only 22 light years from Earth, this means if we could find signs of intelligent life, at least they will be sort of 'real time' and available versus 'billions' of light years in distance and time.
Intelligent life on Earth has only existed since when...the late 1800's or early 1900's? This means the detectable time period of intelligent life on Earth is only about 100-125 years. What we don't yet know is how long we can sustain intelligent life on Earth? Maybe we annihilate ourselves by 2100 or 2200.
The chances of exploring a planet 2 billion light years away, and detecting a 200-300 year period of time when intelligent life might have appeared, is unfathomable to me.
However, detecting intelligent life on a planet only 22 light years from Earth, should be a bit easier. I'm thinking the variables might be when the planet was formed, how long it took for intelligent life to evolve, and how much they might be parallel to Earth's evolution? We can send a message to them and get an answer in only 44 years!
We probably need to be looking for something other than intelligent life because of the odds of achieving this. I don't know what they might be but seems like searching for CO2 or oxygen or temperature or H2O should be the first detection followed by looking for signs of intelligent life...
Intelligent life on Earth has only existed since when...the late 1800's or early 1900's? ...
Being only 22 light years from Earth, this means if we could find signs of intelligent life, at least they will be sort of 'real time' and available versus 'billions' of light years in distance and time.
Intelligent life on Earth has only existed since when...the late 1800's or early 1900's? This means the detectable time period of intelligent life on Earth is only about 100-125 years. What we don't yet know is how long we can sustain intelligent life on Earth? Maybe we annihilate ourselves by 2100 or 2200.
The chances of exploring a planet 2 billion light years away, and detecting a 200-300 year period of time when intelligent life might have appeared, is unfathomable to me.
However, detecting intelligent life on a planet only 22 light years from Earth, should be a bit easier. I'm thinking the variables might be when the planet was formed, how long it took for intelligent life to evolve, and how much they might be parallel to Earth's evolution? We can send a message to them and get an answer in only 44 years!
We probably need to be looking for something other than intelligent life because of the odds of achieving this. I don't know what they might be but seems like searching for CO2 or oxygen or temperature or H2O should be the first detection followed by looking for signs of intelligent life...
I wonder if they're getting into Twin Peaks? The signal should be getting there about now!
Intelligent life on Earth has only existed since when...the late 1800's or early 1900's? ...
Say what now?
Being only 22 light years from Earth, this means if we could find signs of intelligent life, at least they will be sort of 'real time' and available versus 'billions' of light years in distance and time.
Intelligent life on Earth has only existed since when...the late 1800's or early 1900's? This means the detectable time period of intelligent life on Earth is only about 100-125 years. What we don't yet know is how long we can sustain intelligent life on Earth? Maybe we annihilate ourselves by 2100 or 2200.
The chances of exploring a planet 2 billion light years away, and detecting a 200-300 year period of time when intelligent life might have appeared, is unfathomable to me.
However, detecting intelligent life on a planet only 22 light years from Earth, should be a bit easier. I'm thinking the variables might be when the planet was formed, how long it took for intelligent life to evolve, and how much they might be parallel to Earth's evolution? We can send a message to them and get an answer in only 44 years!
We probably need to be looking for something other than intelligent life because of the odds of achieving this. I don't know what they might be but seems like searching for CO2 or oxygen or temperature or H2O should be the first detection followed by looking for signs of intelligent life...
I wonder if they're getting into Twin Peaks? The signal should be getting there about now!
And how about all of those Star Trek TV shows?
Intelligent life on Earth has only existed since when...the late 1800's or early 1900's? ...
Say what now?
Intelligent life on Earth which has accomplished 'something' that can be detected outside of the Solar system by an extraterrestrial civilization...
we might still exist as little rodents trying to avoid getting stomped on .
