Nearby star hosts closest alien planet in the 'habitable zone'

[ScienceRocks]

Nearby star hosts closest alien planet in the 'habitable zone'
December 16, 2015

A simulation of the orbital configuration of the Wolf 1061 system. Wolf 1061 is an inactive red dwarf star, smaller and cooler than our sun, 14 light years away. The orbits for the planets b, c and d (ordered from the inner planet to the …more

UNSW Australia astronomers have discovered the closest potentially habitable planet found outside our solar system so far, orbiting a star just 14 light years away.

The planet, more than four times the mass of the Earth, is one of three that the team detected around a red dwarf star called Wolf 1061.

"It is a particularly exciting find because all three planets are of low enough mass to be potentially rocky and have a solid surface, and the middle planet, Wolf 1061c, sits within the 'Goldilocks' zone where it might be possible for liquid water—and maybe even life—to exist," says lead study author UNSW's Dr Duncan Wright.

"It is fascinating to look out at the vastness of space and think a star so very close to us—a near neighbour—could host a habitable planet.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-12-nearby-star-hosts-closest-alien.html#jCp

Add wolf 1061c to the growing list of earth/super earth habitual planets. This and G667cc are currently the two closes confirmed such planets.

If we really needed to get off this planet fast...Well, this would be a option.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Hopefully Trump can deport the entire AGWCult there

 

[gipper]

Do they support infrastructure there?

 

[ScienceRocks]

Hopefully Trump can deport the entire AGWCult there

Well, having humanity on two or more planets would insure our chances of surviving the next few million years. From a survival standpoint that is a good idea.

 

[mamooth]

I'm not sure about that goldilocks zone. The star is cool red dwarf, so the habitable zone is way close in. Any planet in that zone would get tidally locked to the star, the same face always facing in. One side hot and light, one side cold and dark. It doesn't make life impossible, but does make it more improbable.

 

[Gracie]

It's a shame we are busting ass to find a new planet that only the wealthy and elite will get to have once it is prepped by cheap labor, instead of fixing THIS planet we ALL share.

 

[ScienceRocks]

One thing that favors this one over most red dwarf is wolf 661 isn't very active. Unlike Kepler 438 that was discovered to spit out huge flares.

 

[ScienceRocks]

It's a shame we are busting ass to find a new planet that only the wealthy and elite will get to have once it is prepped by cheap labor, instead of fixing THIS planet we ALL share.

We can do both. lol

Also, why the fuck should we fix Africa and the middle east? Maybe they need to fix themselves. Science is always worth doing and adds a great deal to the wealth of our species.

Funny thing is if it wasn't for science life would be short and a living hell. Science has done more to fix humanity then bombing other countries has ever done.
-It has made our lives unmeasurably easier
-Longer
-More productive
-Increased our wealth a million fold
-Brings people together instead of apart

 

[Gracie]

My point was...who do you think will get to go to a brand new planet? The same ones that shit on this one.

 

[ScienceRocks]

My point was...who do you think will get to go to a brand new planet? The same ones that shit on this one.

I understand. This is why we need to elect people that cares about fairness instead of just money. Science and exploration should be for all.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

Venus and Mars are in the Goldilocks zone and life as we know it can not exist on these planets r. I think that estimates like the Drake equation are to optimistic and the variables to many.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Venus and Mars are in the Goldilocks zone and life as we know it can not exist on these planets r. I think that estimates like the Drake equation are to optimistic and the variables to many.

Venus isn't and mars was too small to maintain its atmosphere against the solar winds. In fact mars once had seas and rivers based on rover data before losing this atmosphere.

A earth or bigger planet would easily maintain surface water in mars position as surface temperature data has shown that temperatures at times get into the 60's, 70's and even 80's in the summer. It is all a matter of pressure(too few molecules) that mars is seen as such a dead planet.

There's a lot to consider when judging habitual and we're going to need a lot more research before we can say anything for a fact. The problem with venus is it has always received far to much solar flex/solar energy never allowing for "oceans" or sea's to develop to deal with the carbon build up in the atmosphere which in turn became the run away greenhouse effect.

I don't think any planet that receives more then 1.5 times our solar flex is habitual. The good news is Wolf 1061c has about 1.1 of our flex(energy coming from its star) and there's at least half a dozen planets that are confirmed that get .6 to 1.3 times our flex. So we do have some really good candidates to study with bigger and better telescopes.