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Title: Earth-like planet discovered in 'habitable' zone
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URL Source: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/scienc ... -could-sustain-life/51656310/1
Published: Dec 5, 2011
Author: Dan Vergano
Post Date: 2011-12-05 17:24:39 by jwpegler
Keywords: None
Views: 8743
Comments: 26
Astronomers on Monday reported the discovery of an Earth-like planet outside the solar system whose size and distance from its own star put it in the "habitable" zone and make for a surface temperature perhaps averaging a balmy 72 degrees. The planet, Kepler 22b, about 2.4 times wider than Earth, circles a star about 600 light years away, close by astronomical standards. The Kepler space telescope discovery team announced the find at a briefing at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "It is right smack in the middle of the habitable zone," Kepler scientist Natalie Batalha says. Launched in 2009, the $591 million Kepler space telescope has detected more than 2,000 possible planets observed among about 150,000 stars within 3,000 light years of Earth along the "Orion spur" of our Milky Way galaxy. Kepler 22b's discovery caps a half-decade of astronomers searching for a "Goldilocks" planet — not too hot or not too cold to harbor oceans on its surface, like Earth. Liquid water is considered key for development of life. "This is a phenomenal discovery in the course of human history," says planet hunting pioneer Geoff Marcy of the University of California-Berkeley, a Kepler investigator. European astronomers discovered the first planet confirmed orbiting a nearby star in 1995, spurring a gold rush of planet discoveries, mostly jumbo planets the size of Jupiter or larger. Kepler 22b "is the smallest, most nearly Earth-size, planet ever found in the lukewarm zone around another sun where life could thrive." Kepler spotted the planet from tiny dips in starlight caused by partial eclipses, or transits, of the planet in front of the star. It travels on a 290- day orbit around a sun-like star, dubbed Kepler 22a, nearly as bright and warm as our own. Astronomer Francesco Pepe of Switzerland's University of Geneva, says he is "convinced that the report will be solid and the data impressive" from the Kepler 22b discovery. Pepe is a member of a competing European Southern Observatory planet-hunting team that announced an Earth-sized planet on the edge of another star's habitable zone in September. The transit detection method yields only a width and orbit time for planets, instead of a weight. Preliminary telescope observation of the planet's star for gravitational wobbles induced on it by the planet indicate only that Kepler 22b cannot weigh more than 36 times more than Earth. "There is absolutely no doubt about the reality of this planet," Marcy says, given that the Kepler team has detected three 7.9-hour dimmings of the star, reoccurring at 290-day crossings in front of the star. "This discovery is rock solid, even if the planet isn't," Marcy says. From early observations, the Kepler astronomers cannot tell whether Kepler 22b is a rocky world, a water-covered world or something else, says team leader William Borucki of NASA's Ames Research Center. Borucki says observations show no signs of other planets in the star's solar system. Pepe estimates that the world would weigh about 14 times as much as Earth if it is built the same way. Most likely, Marcy says, "this planet is probably rocky with a thick layer of water and gas, making it more like Neptune in our solar system." Among the more than 2,000 possible planets spotted by Kepler are 10 planets less than 2.4 times as wide as Earth that linger in the ocean-friendly "habitable zone" distances from their stars, awaiting confirmation. "(W)e Homo sapiens are straining our reach into the universe to find planets that remind us of home," Marcy says by e-mail. "We are almost there."
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#1. To: All (#0)
(Edited)
Kepler has discovered a lot of earth-like planets in their start's habitable zones. This is just the first generation technology that are able to discover rocky planets in habitable zone orbits. The next generation technologies are on the way. They include being able to detect chemicals in a planet's atmosphere and ambient light emanating from the planet's surface. The first could prove the existence of life and the second could prove the existence of a technological civilization. My guess is that we are 15 to 25 years away from away from having solid evidence of life elsewhere and probably the same time frame from having solid evidence of intelligent life elsewhere.
Very cool,and I suspect your predictions may be slightly pessimistic. I don't think it will take that long for the technology to develop. Of course,politics could rear it's ugly head and cut budgets for science.
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
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"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
Do you think we can get all of the Leftards to volunteer to leave Earth and populate this new planet!!!! Promise them free everything and I'll bet they couldn't wait to get off this rock..... Boy would this place improve drastically overnight if that were to happen!!!!!
"CHANGE" you can step in..... No worries, the Chinese seem to be ready to spend.
Wall Street owns the country…Our laws are the output of a system which clothes rascals in robes and honesty in rags. The [political] parties lie to us and the political speakers mislead us…Money rules. Mary Elizabeth Lease, 1890
I don't know - all that unowned land for the taking sounds like libertarian paradise.
Wall Street owns the country…Our laws are the output of a system which clothes rascals in robes and honesty in rags. The [political] parties lie to us and the political speakers mislead us…Money rules. Mary Elizabeth Lease, 1890
That's assuming it is not inhabited by an indigenous intelligent life form that would disagree with that assessment of their planet.
If the land is not put to it's highest, most profitable use then it is the libertarian's moral right to claim it. Any opposition from "indigenous intelligent life forms" is an attack not only the property of libertarian colonists, but on their very freedom. Any such attack must and will be dealt with decisively.
Wall Street owns the country…Our laws are the output of a system which clothes rascals in robes and honesty in rags. The [political] parties lie to us and the political speakers mislead us…Money rules. Mary Elizabeth Lease, 1890
Yeah, I can't wait for the second Avatar movie to come out too. ;-D You know, what you are talking about is exactly how the papel Bull called 'The Doctrine of Discovery First paragraph on the site in that link: Who'd a thunk the church and libertarians would hold the same moral view of ownership? Libertarian property rights are derived from a few core principles. The non-aggression principle, the principle of self-ownership and the homesteading of resources. Unclaimed natural resources that are not being put to productive use by others can be “homesteaded” as a way of property first coming into existence. For example, if I take the time to clear and plow under an unused field and plant crops on it, I have “homesteaded” that land for my use and it becomes my property. I am now the owner of that land because I have mixed that land with my labor in order to produce something of value for society. Wall Street owns the country…Our laws are the output of a system which clothes rascals in robes and honesty in rags. The [political] parties lie to us and the political speakers mislead us…Money rules. Mary Elizabeth Lease, 1890
This is much the same value to the community argument that the Supreme Court used to let private property to be taken because the new owners would be adding economic value to the community. I didn't like that ruling. If a property owner does not wish to sell, I don't see why they should be forced to unless it was extremely critical to do so for good reasons other then making a better profit from the change of ownership.
Speaking as a Native American,HorseHillary!
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
All that unpolluted land and air, especially if you institute Cap and Trade... You will be able to prove that your economic models are so fantastic with no interference from "domestic terrorists" (realists)..... But then again with nobody wanting to work for a living I don't think that will happen.. You'll have to visit neighboring planets to get "workers/slaves" for your system ...... And you even get a free ride there on a Russian space ship, what's not to like????? The perfect Leftards paradise!!!! Ya'll need to sign up right now and get the ball rolling, the sooner ya'll leave the better for the rest of humanity!!!! Oh by the way can you take all of the RINOtards with you????
"CHANGE" you can step in..... Wall Street owns the country…Our laws are the output of a system which clothes rascals in robes and honesty in rags. The [political] parties lie to us and the political speakers mislead us…Money rules. Mary Elizabeth Lease, 1890
Cap and Trade is Reaganomics.
"ROTFLMAO... Perfect! She longs... for someone to Teabag her. a man that squats on top of a women's face and lowers his genitals into her mouth during sex, known as "teabagging" She aches for it"... ~~~JWpegler. Head Tea Bagger and Tea Party supporter extraordinaire, explicitly expressing his fantasies in public about other posters.
That is part of the quote from that site, Pete. I would be very interested to hear your opinion on the full opening part og that site, because I believe you are not fully understanding what they mean by that particular part of that paragraph I quoted. Click on the link in that post and read the first part of that page and let me know what you feel is wrong with their position.
And your point is????
"CHANGE" you can step in..... Other advantages of the Leftards going to this new “Paradise” include…. The crime rate here would drop to almost zero and we would have little use for police, other than for traffic law enforcement, and we could close down most of the jails and prisons. And you guys would have a never ending crime spree on your new Leftard paradise because most of the criminals would have went with you, and there would be no way for you to protect yourselves because you would have outlawed guns too!!!!! LOL….. Deviant behavior here would be greatly reduced because all of the homosexuals and pedophiles would be going to the new Leftard paradise…… Just think almost 1/2 of your population would be homosexuals, pedophiles and a bunch of useless smelly hippies. And the rest would be those who think they are smarter than everybody else and would all want to be in charge of that clusterphuck!!!! (You better take a good supply of psychiatrists and antidepressants with you while you’re at it)…… LOL…… No need to close the southern border because all of the illegal aliens would go with you knowing they would not be welcome here….. (same thing goes for the Muslims)!!! No more lying MSM to deal with, they would go with you because there would be no one left here to pay them to lie for them....
"CHANGE" you can step in..... Of course. When criminal acts are legitimized through deregulation, the crime rate will naturally decrease. No need to close the southern border because all of the illegal aliens would go with you knowing they would not be welcome here….. (same thing goes for the Muslims)!!! There will be no illegal aliens because corporations will rule, legitimizing all the cheap labor they can use.
Wall Street owns the country…Our laws are the output of a system which clothes rascals in robes and honesty in rags. The [political] parties lie to us and the political speakers mislead us…Money rules. Mary Elizabeth Lease, 1890
At least it will be someone who "WANTS" to work versus someone who "DOESN'T" want to work.....(I.E. someone who "VOTES" for the handouts they "THINK" they're entitled to)!!! And I would imagine the unemployment will drop to 0 because there will be so much to be done..... Fix the roads, sewers, dams, bridges and demolish all of the slums that are left behind.... No more subsidizing leeches so there will be plenty of money to do all of that!!!!
"CHANGE" you can step in..... Like corporate persons?
Wall Street owns the country…Our laws are the output of a system which clothes rascals in robes and honesty in rags. The [political] parties lie to us and the political speakers mislead us…Money rules. Mary Elizabeth Lease, 1890
NO.. Leftards!!!!
"CHANGE" you can step in..... Like corporate persons? Oh no they "pay" some for their handouts by buying politicians. CZ probably ain't worried about that though.
Amazing. If the socialists on this thread spent as much time bettering themselves as they do spouting their socialist talking-points, they'd actually have a job that doesn't involve scrubbing toilets. But no..... they are too fucking LAZY to work, and prefer to contaminate EVERY thread with their lies. The future is going to be VERY unkind to them, and their ilk. Deservedly so.
DUMMY DwarF: ...I'm eating a meatball... "Whenver the dwarf sees something negative about a Democrat, he tries to change the topic of the thread to something else. Usually a personal attack, followed by mutterings about correct 'grammar' 'spelling' whatever. Anything he can think of to avoid a discussion about a Democrat screwing up or looking bad. It's a decade long pattern." --Badeye observation-- Oh no they "pay" some for their handouts by buying politicians. CZ probably ain't worried about that though Actually we figured we would send them with you on your trip to your new home, wouldn't want to leave any potential scum out of going on the trip!!!!!
"CHANGE" you can step in..... The ones I love are ones you know that troll political websites 24/7/365 spewing their B.S. about how great their failed system/masters are!!!! Makes you wonder if they ever leave their computers to eat, sleep or....... "CHANGE" you can step in.....
Gold is the money of kings; silver is the money of gentlemen; barter is the money of peasants; but debt is the money of slaves.
#2. To: jwpegler, *Science and technology* (#1)
#3. To: jwpegler, *Space News* (#0)
#4. To: jwpegler (#0)
The planet, Kepler 22b, about 2.4 times wider than Earth, circles a star about 600 light years away, close by astronomical standards.
My dogs have created more shovel ready jobs than the self appointed Messiah!!! Number of shallow, inadequate, hypocritical Leftards who have me on BOZO---3.......... That means I'm doing my job correctly !!!!!!!!!
#5. To: sneakypete (#2)
Of course,politics could rear it's ugly head and cut budgets for science.
#6. To: CZ82 (#4)
Do you think we can get all of the Leftards to volunteer to leave Earth and populate this new planet!!!! Promise them free everything and I'll bet they couldn't wait to get off this rock.....
#7. To: lucysmom (#6)
"I don't know - all that unowned land for the taking sounds like libertarian paradise."
#8. To: Ferret Mike (#7)
That's assuming it is not inhabited by an indigenous intelligent life form that would disagree with that assessment of their planet.
#9. To: lucysmom (#8)
When Christopher Columbus first set foot on the white sands of Guanahani island, he performed a ceremony to "take possession" of the land for the king and queen of Spain, acting under the international laws of Western Christendom. Although the story of Columbus' "discovery" has taken on mythological proportions in most of the Western world, few people are aware that his act of "possession" was based on a religious doctrine now known in history as the Doctrine of Discovery. Even fewer people realize that today - five centuries later - the United States government still uses this archaic Judeo-Christian doctrine to deny the rights of Native American Indians.
#10. To: Ferret Mike (#9)
You know, what you are talking about is exactly how the papel Bull called 'The Doctrine of Discovery
#11. To: lucysmom (#10)
"if I take the time to clear and plow under an unused field and plant crops on it, I have “homesteaded” that land for my use and it becomes my property. I am now the owner of that land because I have mixed that land with my labor in order to produce something of value for society."
#12. To: Ferret Mike (#9)
the United States government still uses this archaic Judeo-Christian doctrine to deny the rights of Native American Indians.
#13. To: lucysmom (#6)
(Edited)
I don't know - all that unowned land for the taking sounds like libertarian paradise.
My dogs have created more shovel ready jobs than the self appointed Messiah!!! Number of shallow, inadequate, hypocritical Leftards who have me on BOZO---3.......... That means I'm doing my job correctly !!!!!!!!!
#14. To: CZ82 (#13)
#15. To: CZ82 (#13)
All that unpolluted land and air, especially if you institute Cap and Trade... You will be able to prove that your economic models are so fantastic with no interference from "domestic terrorists" (realists).....
#16. To: sneakypete (#12)
#17. To: mininggold (#15)
Cap and Trade is Reaganomics.
My dogs have created more shovel ready jobs than the self appointed Messiah!!! Number of shallow, inadequate, hypocritical Leftards who have me on BOZO---3.......... That means I'm doing my job correctly !!!!!!!!!
#18. To: lucysmom (#6)
I don't know - all that unowned land for the taking sounds like libertarian paradise.
My dogs have created more shovel ready jobs than the self appointed Messiah!!! Number of shallow, inadequate, hypocritical Leftards who have me on BOZO---3.......... That means I'm doing my job correctly !!!!!!!!!
#19. To: CZ82 (#18)
The crime rate here would drop to almost zero...
#20. To: lucysmom (#19)
There will be no illegal aliens because corporations will rule, legitimizing all the cheap labor they can use.
My dogs have created more shovel ready jobs than the self appointed Messiah!!! Number of shallow, inadequate, hypocritical Leftards who have me on BOZO---3.......... That means I'm doing my job correctly !!!!!!!!!
#21. To: CZ82 (#20)
(I.E. someone who "VOTES" for the handouts they "THINK" they're entitled to)!!!
#22. To: lucysmom (#21)
(I.E. someone who "VOTES" for the handouts they "THINK" they're entitled to)!!! Like corporate persons?
My dogs have created more shovel ready jobs than the self appointed Messiah!!! Number of shallow, inadequate, hypocritical Leftards who have me on BOZO---3.......... That means I'm doing my job correctly !!!!!!!!!
#23. To: lucysmom, CZ82 (#21)
I.E. someone who "VOTES" for the handouts they "THINK" they're entitled to)!!!
#24. To: CZ82 (#20)
Capitalist Eric: Foreplay before the president's staff? 
#25. To: NewsJunky (#23)
.E. someone who "VOTES" for the handouts they "THINK" they're entitled to)!!! Like corporate persons?
My dogs have created more shovel ready jobs than the self appointed Messiah!!! Number of shallow, inadequate, hypocritical Leftards who have me on BOZO---3.......... That means I'm doing my job correctly !!!!!!!!!
#26. To: Capitalist Eric (#24)
But no..... they are too fucking LAZY to work, and prefer to contaminate EVERY thread with their lies.
My dogs have created more shovel ready jobs than the self appointed Messiah!!! Number of shallow, inadequate, hypocritical Leftards who have me on BOZO---3.......... That means I'm doing my job correctly !!!!!!!!!
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