Newly discovered planet may be habitable

[Chris]

A decadelong hunt by an astronomer at UC Santa Cruz has yielded the discovery of a planet that could be the most Earth-like planet ever discovered -- and the best case yet for a habitable one, ending our cosmic loneliness.

The planet, called Gliese 581g, is located in prime real estate within the constellation Libra, where it's sweater weather, not too windy, with scenic views of a white sky.

"It could be the Goldilocks planet, neither too hot nor too cold "... orbiting its star in a 'habitable zone,' " said Steven Vogt of UC Santa Cruz, who announced the news with Carnegie Institution colleague Paul Butler at a Wednesday news briefing at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the National Science Foundation, which funded the work.

"It may well be like Earth, where you could walk around comfortably and look out at the stars," said Vogt, 60, of Aptos.

Scientists say there is no evidence that Gliese 581g holds oxygenated landscapes of green and blue that would support microbes, dinosaurs or some alien-looking pre-human. For life, there must be water, and there's no proof of that. Yet.

But Earth is unlikely to be some stupendous fluke that happened just once, said Vogt.

"Places like Earth may not be very special," he said.

Newly discovered planet may be habitable - San Jose Mercury News

 

[dilloduck]

A decadelong hunt by an astronomer at UC Santa Cruz has yielded the discovery of a planet that could be the most Earth-like planet ever discovered -- and the best case yet for a habitable one, ending our cosmic loneliness.

The planet, called Gliese 581g, is located in prime real estate within the constellation Libra, where it's sweater weather, not too windy, with scenic views of a white sky.

"It could be the Goldilocks planet, neither too hot nor too cold "... orbiting its star in a 'habitable zone,' " said Steven Vogt of UC Santa Cruz, who announced the news with Carnegie Institution colleague Paul Butler at a Wednesday news briefing at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the National Science Foundation, which funded the work.

"It may well be like Earth, where you could walk around comfortably and look out at the stars," said Vogt, 60, of Aptos.

Scientists say there is no evidence that Gliese 581g holds oxygenated landscapes of green and blue that would support microbes, dinosaurs or some alien-looking pre-human. For life, there must be water, and there's no proof of that. Yet.

But Earth is unlikely to be some stupendous fluke that happened just once, said Vogt.

"Places like Earth may not be very special," he said.

Newly discovered planet may be habitable - San Jose Mercury News

I love when someone tries to pass out bullshit speculation as "scientific".

 

[José]

Originally posted by Dilloduck
I love when someone tries to pass out bullshit speculation as "scientific".

It's the good, old unholy alliance between the media craving for bombastic news and Carl Sagan-like scientists yearning for the limelight.

 

[José]

Big fan of Dr. Sagan myself... but I just stated a fact.

 

[Douger]

Kool. More places for humans to exploit and destroy in the coming milleniums. I wonder who will be the first to dot it's landscape with flags and military bases ?

 

[xotoxi]

Newly discovered planet may be habitablehttp://www.mercurynews.com/ci_16209633?source=most_viewed&nclick_check=1

I heard that Gliese 581g has a big problem with global warming.

 

[phuriphat]

Although we could discover the Earth-like planet, we couldn't go there.

 

[blastoff]

Cool. Pave paradise and put up a parking lot again so we can make some serious bucks. Condos...shopping centers...miles of roads bordered with big box stores and car dealers...golf courses, lots of golf courses...welcome to the Gliese 581g Open...

 

[Douger]

Hopefully there is lots of plutonium and uranium so the masters will be able to keep you safe from "evil'.
I wonder how much of the new planet The Chosen will demand ?

 

[Missourian]

Shame Obama gutted the Constellation space program.

Guess we'll be calling that planet "New China".

 

[xotoxi]

Shame Obama gutted the Constellation space program.

Guess we'll be calling that planet "New China".

...at the current speed of space travel, it would take tens of thousands of years to get there.

Methinks we won't be getting there EVER!

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Newly discovered planet may be habitablehttp://www.mercurynews.com/ci_16209633?source=most_viewed&nclick_check=1

I heard that Gliese 581g has a big problem with global warming.

LOL! Cow farts imperil Gliese 581g

 

[Dr.House]

Newly discovered planet may be habitablehttp://www.mercurynews.com/ci_16209633?source=most_viewed&nclick_check=1

I heard that Gliese 581g has a big problem with global warming.

Actually, it's global cooling there...

You see, there is an indigenous species on 581g that is the root of the planet's problems. The Frabunux, a wingless birdlike creature with one leg and spiked "feathers", creates a visible, gray and noxious flatulance that is actually blotting out their "sun's" rays. One single Frabunux can produce up to 2,856 cubic meters per day of visible flatulance. A remarkable feat, as the creature is aproximately 15 centimeters tall!

 

[Meister]

I tried looking up Gliese 581g on my GPS, and must be a new contruction area because I can't find it anywhere. The closest I could get to it was Happy Camp, Ca. After that it's a blank.

 

[Bill O'Olberman]

Shame Obama gutted the Constellation space program.

Guess we'll be calling that planet "New China".

...at the current speed of space travel, it would take tens of thousands of years to get there.

Methinks we won't be getting there EVER!

But thats only because Obama gutted the Constellation space program. We were so close to creating a warp drive and then Obama killed the program. Its just another example showing Obama hates white americans.

 

[MaggieMae]

A decadelong hunt by an astronomer at UC Santa Cruz has yielded the discovery of a planet that could be the most Earth-like planet ever discovered -- and the best case yet for a habitable one, ending our cosmic loneliness.

The planet, called Gliese 581g, is located in prime real estate within the constellation Libra, where it's sweater weather, not too windy, with scenic views of a white sky.

"It could be the Goldilocks planet, neither too hot nor too cold "... orbiting its star in a 'habitable zone,' " said Steven Vogt of UC Santa Cruz, who announced the news with Carnegie Institution colleague Paul Butler at a Wednesday news briefing at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the National Science Foundation, which funded the work.

"It may well be like Earth, where you could walk around comfortably and look out at the stars," said Vogt, 60, of Aptos.

Scientists say there is no evidence that Gliese 581g holds oxygenated landscapes of green and blue that would support microbes, dinosaurs or some alien-looking pre-human. For life, there must be water, and there's no proof of that. Yet.

But Earth is unlikely to be some stupendous fluke that happened just once, said Vogt.

"Places like Earth may not be very special," he said.

Newly discovered planet may be habitable - San Jose Mercury News

I love when someone tries to pass out bullshit speculation as "scientific".

Answers.com - What is scientific speculation
Scientific speculation is a legitimate part of the scientific process that develops early ideas that are not yet robust enough to be a testable, falsifiable or worthy of being a more formal "hypothesis". Scientific speculations are grounded in established knowledge in a field, but generally go beyond what is defensible.

Not exactly "bullshit."

 

[dilloduck]

Although we could discover the Earth-like planet, we couldn't go there.

Stop fucking with the dream.

 

[MaggieMae]

Shame Obama gutted the Constellation space program.

Guess we'll be calling that planet "New China".

Huh? We should get to the new planet by way of the Moon? The Constellation program gutted further Moon exploration, period.

Requesting some $19 billion for NASA in fiscal 2011, the administration announced plans to pump an additional $6 billion into NASA's budget over the next five years to kick-start development of a new commercial manned spaceflight capability, including some $500 million in 2011.
Read more: Obama ends moon program, endorses private spaceflight | The Space Shot - CNET News

 

[Old Rocks]

A decadelong hunt by an astronomer at UC Santa Cruz has yielded the discovery of a planet that could be the most Earth-like planet ever discovered -- and the best case yet for a habitable one, ending our cosmic loneliness.

The planet, called Gliese 581g, is located in prime real estate within the constellation Libra, where it's sweater weather, not too windy, with scenic views of a white sky.

"It could be the Goldilocks planet, neither too hot nor too cold "... orbiting its star in a 'habitable zone,' " said Steven Vogt of UC Santa Cruz, who announced the news with Carnegie Institution colleague Paul Butler at a Wednesday news briefing at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the National Science Foundation, which funded the work.

"It may well be like Earth, where you could walk around comfortably and look out at the stars," said Vogt, 60, of Aptos.

Scientists say there is no evidence that Gliese 581g holds oxygenated landscapes of green and blue that would support microbes, dinosaurs or some alien-looking pre-human. For life, there must be water, and there's no proof of that. Yet.

But Earth is unlikely to be some stupendous fluke that happened just once, said Vogt.

"Places like Earth may not be very special," he said.

Newly discovered planet may be habitable - San Jose Mercury News

I love when someone tries to pass out bullshit speculation as "scientific".

Answers.com - What is scientific speculation
Scientific speculation is a legitimate part of the scientific process that develops early ideas that are not yet robust enough to be a testable, falsifiable or worthy of being a more formal "hypothesis". Scientific speculations are grounded in established knowledge in a field, but generally go beyond what is defensible.

Not exactly "bullshit."

But we have a board populated by Conservatives with little imagination, negative scientific knowledge, and less curiousity.

 

[Rat in the Hat]

Newly discovered planet may be habitablehttp://www.mercurynews.com/ci_16209633?source=most_viewed&nclick_check=1

I heard that Gliese 581g has a big problem with global warming.

That's because all of the Gliese581geans are driving big ass SUV's, and flying to get their Nobel Prizes on private jets.