This story has me geeking out big time!
Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory in Chile have discovered a potentially habitable planet orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 581. At 20.4 light years away within the constellation of Libra, Gliese 581 is one of the hundred closest stars to Earth. This planet – right now known only as 581 c – has a theoretical average surface temperature somewhere between 0 and 40 degrees Celsius, allowing for the presence of liquid water and thus the potential to sustain life.
Many questions remain regarding the composition of its atmosphere and other factors that could affect its habitability, but this planet is the first good candidate for an Earth-like world discovered outside our solar system.
15 responses so far ↓
1
Jason Juchems
// Apr 25, 2007 at 7:18 am
The search for natural resources to plunder has spread to space.
2
Anon E. Mouse
// Apr 25, 2007 at 7:53 am
Absolutely awesome!
3
Tom 2
// Apr 25, 2007 at 9:18 am
Apparently what tipped the astronomoers off to potential life on the planet was the Starbucks they saw through their telescope.
4
Scott J
// Apr 25, 2007 at 10:59 am
Tom 2 – way to funny. Wal-mart right about now is looking to open up another “Superstore”.
5
Michelle
// Apr 25, 2007 at 11:07 am
So you see, no need to worry about pollution or urban sprawl. When we finish filling up all our cornfields with cheaply built oversized houses (while letting solid old houses go to ruin) we can abandon this whole planet and start anew. Hopefully by the time we’ve ruined Planet No. 2 we will have discovered Planet No. 3, and so on. The alternative would be to take care of what we already have, but clearly nobody wants to do THAT.
6
C. J. Summers
// Apr 25, 2007 at 11:33 am
We’ll still tax the people who live on earth for the new interplanetary development, of course, even though they will get no benefit from it.
We’re so cynical, aren’t we?
7
Cory
// Apr 25, 2007 at 12:22 pm
If we leave RIGHT NOW, we might make it before our Sun collapses. Maybe.
8
Emtronics
// Apr 25, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Maybe “they” are looking back at “us” and saying; “Wow, I’ll bet they want to come here and force their old homes, corn fields, and Wal-Marts on us!”
9
Cory
// Apr 25, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Or, they’re worried we’re going to flatten a bunch of their corn to make some stupid shapes.
10
Josh Carter
// Apr 25, 2007 at 3:22 pm
CJ-don’t tell emtronics…but that is what the garbage fee is for.
11
Josh Carter
// Apr 25, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Anon E. Mouse: NOW, it must have been a total conspiracy…up until now. I’m glad your learning everyday mouse, you can’t personally appreciate the space happenings without alittle imagination. Its funnier than shit, when I hear..people who supposedly know soo much about space exploration say, never, its a hoax, its a conspiracy…to anything that is outside the box. The truth is that this place existed, but the telescope previously hadn’t.
12
Anon E. Mouse
// Apr 25, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Josh – WTF are you talking about?
13
knightindragonland
// Apr 25, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Damn … y’all (except Anon) are killin’ my buzz.
Anon … I think Josh either has his tin-foil hat on too tight, or he’s been talking to the face on Mars too much.
14
Josh Carter
// Apr 30, 2007 at 9:50 am
Knight, I would not have thought you were a closed-minded sheeple, but then again you are an MD…Let me re-phrase this so that you can understand. Take 2 pills of Zoloft and STFU noob!!
15
knightindragonland
// Apr 30, 2007 at 11:51 pm
Since this is my blog, I highly doubt that I’ll STFU.
In case everyone else is wondering what Josh is talking about – and I wonder myself sometimes – Josh believes that aliens carved out a giant face on Mars. Anon E. Mouse and I have been rather vocal in our disbelief, and for that I have now been labeled a “sheeple” and a “noob.”
Thank you for so eloquently defending your point of view, Josh. I don’t understand how I ever thought you were a moronic loon …
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