/sci/ - Science & Math

A new planet detected orbiting a star 600 light years away could have continents, oceans and life, it was revealed today.

The planet, Kepler-22b, is about twice the size of Earth and may have a surface temperature of around 22C - similar to a warm spring day in the UK.

It is the first so-called "super-Earth" known to lie within the "habitable" zone of a Sun-like star.

Dubbed the "Goldilocks zone", this is the orbital band where temperatures are just right to allow the existence of surface liquid water.

This means the planet could have continents and oceans just like the Earth. And where there is liquid water, there could also be life.

Scientists believe Kepler-22b may not only be habitable, but possibly even inhabited.

Gliese 581 g has attracted attention because, if it exists, it is near the middle of the habitable zone of its parent star. That means it could sustain liquid water on its surface and could potentially host life similar to that on Earth. (The planet is expected to be around 20 Fahrenheit degrees cooler than Earth, however). If it is a rocky planet, favorable atmospheric conditions could permit the presence of liquid water, a necessity for all known life, on its surface. With a mass 3.1 to 4.3 times Earth's, Gliese 581 g is considered a super-Earth and was the planet closest in size to Earth known in a habitable zone until the discovery of Kepler-22b (600 light years away). This makes it one of the most Earth-like Goldilocks planet found outside the Solar System and the exoplanet with one of the greatest recognized potential for harboring life from a distance in close proximity to Earth (20 light years away).

Oh wow that is amazing OP, Nice find buddy!

too
far
away

deal with it

>>4107978
I've seen 5 threads about it today alone, don't be surprised if no one posts in yours.

>Scientists believe Kepler-22b may not only be habitable, but possibly even inhabited.

Why?

in don't really feel like speculating about 600 year old data

Thank you for telling me about this OP. You are really cool and smart.

>>4107983

Because of where it is located in reference to its parent star, it is in what is known as the "goldilocks zone" meaning the distance is just right for a habitable planet to exist.

FINALLY A THREAD ABOUT THIS
You are my hero OP

>>4107987
>>4107978
>>4107979

At first I thought you were joking...this is probably the most miserable samefag I've ever seen.

i majored in liberal arts
please rape my face

OP you are da best for finding this!

I don't care Kepler 22b is 600 ly away, you can't stop me from fantasizing.

what the fuck is going on in here

The gravity would be pretty intense on those super Earths. I'm sure there are Earth sized planets out there in the Goldilocks Zone, and the more sensitive our instruments become the easier it will be to find them. Exo-planatory discovery is still in its infancy which makes findings like these all the more promising.

lets get this started
>nuclear propulsion

10/10 OP thanks for the planet no angry klingons (:

>>4107983
Because THEY NEED MONEY.

Yeah, fuck that we have to protect democracy in a dozen countries, fuck that we have the liberals going sightseeing in Wall St. We have to fund astronomers to do basically the stupidest shit possible: watch through a telescope.

>>4108011
lolno
>neutrino engine
>enter slipspace and travel at hundreds of time sthe speed of light
>reach kepler in a couple of years
>stop off at pluto and take a dump on it for being a shitty planet

Hey I have an idea... why don't all conservatives leave and go to that planet and all liberals can stay here.

We could create a utopia

>>4108011
so how about.. you take a ship... give it a HUUUGE blast shield on its rear and detonate a warhead behind it, so the ship basically "rides" on the blast wave

>>4108028
inb4 in 20 years we lose all contacs... planetwide failiure is assumed

>>4107989
Yes, but saying we think the planet may be habitable vs saying we think there may be life on it is a big stretch and seems like baseless speculation at this point. From the information I've mustered so far, they don't even know if it's a terrestrial or a jovian, and 2.5 Earth masses would be quite large for a terrestrial. Even assuming that it is a terrestrial, throwing out average temperatures is a bit pointless when we don't know the atmospheric pressure.

>>4108032
>implying the ship wouldnt be anhiliated

>astronomers to do basically the stupidest shit possible: watch through a telescope.
>watch through a telescope.

mfw you don;t know enough about astronomy to be criticizing it.

>>4108032
no.. just no

How can they say that it could have continents?

Also, It really does'nt matter if it is habited, its way to far. Even if it was 1 ly away that would be too far to reach it with current technology.

>>4108032
>>4108043
>>4108052
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_pulse_propulsion

the entire massive universe wouldnt be that size if it wasnt possible to get anywhere.
Science will find a way
probably neutrino engines

> Gliese 581
Hey, how do you guys pronounce this?
Like "glee ace"?

>>4108083
"Gil-ease"

Think Achilies.

>>4108069
dude what
i don't even
what

>>4108083
"Glee-say"
At least that's how I've heard astronomers pronounce it.

>>4108083
I always pronounced it glee see

lol oh no u forgot to change ur name from OP lol!! wow u is silly lol

Just.. just stop.

Holy shit, i wish i was born in time where we decide on which planet to go first, now that shit would be so cash

Being 600 light years away means we probably wont be able to travel to it any time soon, but it does mean we're more likely to notice other lifeforms on it. The human race has been around far longer than 600 years, so hopefully if any intelligent life exists on that planet, we'll notice it.

>>4108114
>The human race has been around far longer than 600 years, so hopefully if any intelligent life exists on that planet, we'll notice it.

>>4108114
what about 600 year old radio waves?
how much of a breakthrough would that be

>>4108130
They wont necessarily be sending out radio waves. They could send an electromagnetic wave of any wavelength.

>>4108146
lets say there is something
and they're sending something we can receive, and decypher after a few years

and lets say we "tuned in" during an age of conflict, wouldn't it be depressing to know that we weren't alone.. but the nearest intelligent life forms just exterminated themselves?

also: Lets say something else out there tunes in to us
and the first thing they hear from us is NSDAP propaganda
they make the effort to send a probe.. and the first thing our ambassadors and scientists hear is "Heil Hitler" as a greeting

>>4108005
If Kepler 22b is 2.2 times the size of the Earth and is 2.5 times as massive and the Earth, it will approximately have half the gravitational force as the Earth.

It would have to be 4 times as massive and 2 times the size in order to have twice the gravitational force as we feel on Earth.

>>4108070
>neutrino propulsion
>poker face

>>4108171
Given the only thing we could possibly hope to detect at this distance would be massive atomic detonations I suppose we have to hope for some conflict or real firecracker experimentation.

The kind of radio waves made for planetary communication are only detectable for a dozen light years, at best. It would take a retardedly powerful signal to reach earth.

>>4108060

I don't care. Just knowing that there are other planets with life would be enough for me.

Alcubierre Drive?

>>4108173
Not sure if trolling,
or just really stupid