Earth-Like Exoplanet Found Within Habitable Zone Could Support Life

"The newfound exoplanet, a so-called "super-Earth" called HD 40307g, is located inside its host star's habitable zone,a just-right range of distances where liquid water may exist on a world's surface. And the planet lies a mere 42 light-years away from Earth, meaning that future telescopes might be able to image it directly, researchers said."

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It seems astronomers have been really successful with Kepler and other telescopes in finding new exoplanets. This discovery comes just after a planet was spotted near Alpha Centauri B, the closest exoplanet to earth (however it wasn't habitable.) The best part about this is probably how close the exoplanet is. I heard a while ago that NASA was working on new technology to directly image an exoplanet in visible light, so apparently 42 light years would be within range of the technology their planning on making.

It's 280 trillion miles away. If we left right now traveling as fast as the current fastest man made object ( helios probe, gravity assisted ) it would take us roughly 206,000 YEARS to get there.

Sorry. We are still fvcked here on earth.

It's 280 trillion miles away. If we left right now traveling as fast as the current fastest man made object ( helios probe, gravity assisted ) it would take us roughly 206,000 YEARS to get there.

Sorry. We are still fvcked here on earth.

Alter_Echo

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

It's 280 trillion miles away. If we left right now traveling as fast as the current fastest man made object ( helios probe, gravity assisted ) it would take us roughly 206,000 YEARS to get there.

Sorry. We are still fvcked here on earth.

turaaggeli

You are talking about a species that isn't even smart enough to figure out how to fix economic problems. Space travel to anywhere past the moon is a pipedream.

You are talking about a species that isn't even smart enough to figure out how to fix economic problems. Space travel to anywhere past the moon is a pipedream.

Alter_Echo

HOW'S THAT FOR SOME POLITICAL COMMENTARY?

[QUOTE="turaaggeli"]

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

It's 280 trillion miles away. If we left right now traveling as fast as the current fastest man made object ( helios probe, gravity assisted ) it would take us roughly 206,000 YEARS to get there.

Sorry. We are still fvcked here on earth.

Alter_Echo

You are talking about a species that isn't even smart enough to figure out how to fix economic problems. Space travel to anywhere past the moon is a pipedream.

It's fascinating. Even if it doesn't contain life with equal intelligence to us it's still interesting to know.

Just imagine what the creatures there would look like.

It's 280 trillion miles away. If we left right now traveling as fast as the current fastest man made object ( helios probe, gravity assisted ) it would take us roughly 206,000 YEARS to get there.

Sorry. We are still fvcked here on earth.

Alter_Echo

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

It's 280 trillion miles away. If we left right now traveling as fast as the current fastest man made object ( helios probe, gravity assisted ) it would take us roughly 206,000 YEARS to get there.

Sorry. We are still fvcked here on earth.

junglist101

At best we find some bacteria or mutant space goat which only proves what is already a statistical certainty and then we do nothing else because it's too far away to explore or gather samples from. We get to look. Yay!

[QUOTE="turaaggeli"]

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

It's 280 trillion miles away. If we left right now traveling as fast as the current fastest man made object ( helios probe, gravity assisted ) it would take us roughly 206,000 YEARS to get there.

Sorry. We are still fvcked here on earth.

Alter_Echo

You are talking about a species that isn't even smart enough to figure out how to fix economic problems. Space travel to anywhere past the moon is a pipedream.

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

[QUOTE="turaaggeli"] I guess you haven't heard of a little thing called hyperdrive..... That baby is a time-saver.

cslayer211

You are talking about a species that isn't even smart enough to figure out how to fix economic problems. Space travel to anywhere past the moon is a pipedream.

NASA can land an auto piloted probe on a big rock and then gather some dirt with an icecream scoop and take pictures of a really far away object. Oh and they can strap people to a rocket and achieve escape velocity.

Go NASA!

Do you have any idea how much more complex and completely beyond our capability it would be for anything like that to ever happen? It probably wouldn't even make it past the "how are we paying for this" stage.

Fact : We are stuck here for until we are all gone and the best we can hope for is eventually landing on an uninhabitable planet somewhere in our own galaxy. Our telescopes have already seen 100x farther than we will ever go.

[QUOTE="junglist101"]

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

It's 280 trillion miles away. If we left right now traveling as fast as the current fastest man made object ( helios probe, gravity assisted ) it would take us roughly 206,000 YEARS to get there.

Sorry. We are still fvcked here on earth.

Alter_Echo

At best we find some bacteria or mutant space goat which only proves what is already a statistical certainty and then we do nothing else because it's too far away to explore or gather samples from. We get to look. Yay!

[QUOTE="cslayer211"]

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

You are talking about a species that isn't even smart enough to figure out how to fix economic problems. Space travel to anywhere past the moon is a pipedream.

Alter_Echo

NASA can land an auto piloted probe on a big rock and then gather some dirt with an icecream scoop and take pictures of a really far away object. Oh and they can strap people to a rocket and achieve escape velocity.

Go NASA!

Do you have any idea how much more complex and completely beyond our capability it would be for anything like that to ever happen? It probably wouldn't even make it past the "how are we paying for this" stage.

Fact : We are stuck here for until we are all gone and the best we can hope for is eventually landing on an inhabitable planet somewhere in our own galaxy. Our telescopes have already seen 100x farther than we will ever go.

That is pretty awesome news. Just examining its surface and all the potential vegetation and more importantly other life forms is fascinating on its own. Unfortunately the closest we' ll get is through specialised telescopes as to send even unmanned spaceships is impossible for god knows how many years.

I just wish more funds could be spent on space exploration and travel.

[QUOTE="cslayer211"]

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

You are talking about a species that isn't even smart enough to figure out how to fix economic problems. Space travel to anywhere past the moon is a pipedream.

Alter_Echo

NASA can land an auto piloted probe on a big rock and then gather some dirt with an icecream scoop and take pictures of a really far away object. Oh and they can strap people to a rocket and achieve escape velocity.

Go NASA!

Do you have any idea how much more complex and completely beyond our capability it would be for anything like that to ever happen? It probably wouldn't even make it past the "how are we paying for this" stage.

Fact : We are stuck here for until we are all gone and the best we can hope for is eventually landing on an inhabitable planet somewhere in our own galaxy. Our telescopes have already seen 100x farther than we will ever go.

Thats rather negative, yes, the chances are we will destroy ourselves but let us dream :)

Makes me wonder if there is any alien life out there looking at us from their planet and wondering "Yeah that small little planet is in the habitable zone, maybe it has life on it?"

In 100 years we'll be discussing if it is a good idea to be sending a high speed probe to that planet.

Exciting stuff.

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

[QUOTE="turaaggeli"] I guess you haven't heard of a little thing called hyperdrive..... That baby is a time-saver.

l4dak47

You are talking about a species that isn't even smart enough to figure out how to fix economic problems. Space travel to anywhere past the moon is a pipedream.

Video related.

LMAO, a "mere 42 light years". We won't make it there in our lifetime.

LMAO, a "mere 42 light years". We won't make it there in our lifetime.

gamerguru100

What if we find a cure for death first?

Republicans suddenly become very interested in funding NASA again, just to be able to travel to said planet and start society over.:P

Republicans suddenly become very interested in funding NASA again, just to be able to travel to said planet and start society over.:P

jimkabrhel

It could do with a bit of a reset.

I've always been interested in seeing what a *Fresh* Earth-like planet would look like from orbit.

Republicans suddenly become very interested in funding NASA again, just to be able to travel to said planet and start society over.:P

jimkabrhel

That is pretty awesome news. Just examining its surface and all the potential vegetation and more importantly other life forms is fascinating on its own. Unfortunately the closest we' ll get is through specialised telescopes as to send even unmanned spaceships is impossible for god knows how many years.

I just wish more funds could be spent on space exploration and travel.

johnd13

Too bad we can't reach it with our current technology.

Amazing!

That is fantastic news :D INTERPLANETARY space travel will be what defines us as a species. I hope we dont destroy ourselves long enough to become citizens of the Cosmos.

ANd how about some imaginative names for these worlds....

Typical of media to call any planet "Earth like". When reality is often quite different, be its distance or its size/mass.

Typical of media to call any planet "Earth like". When reality is often quite different, be its distance or its size/mass.

dramaybaz

[QUOTE="turaaggeli"]

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

It's 280 trillion miles away. If we left right now traveling as fast as the current fastest man made object ( helios probe, gravity assisted ) it would take us roughly 206,000 YEARS to get there.

Sorry. We are still fvcked here on earth.

Alter_Echo

You are talking about a species that isn't even smart enough to figure out how to fix economic problems. Space travel to anywhere past the moon is a pipedream.

We need to send Lindsay Lohan there immediately as a test subject.

Let's blow it up.

It is amazing what they are finding out there! I think it is eventually coming in decades we might know we are not alone in the universe. The question is do you want to meet them? Interesting stuff, and also scary.mjf249

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