It's technically within the habitable zone, but it's three times the size of the Earth, it's tidally locked to its star with an average temperature that's freezing cold, and its composition is still pretty much unknown.
Hold your horses, guys. We don't know whether it is capable of supporting life. All we know is it is the right distance from its star to have liquid water on the surface, and it has sufficient mass to retain an atmosphere. We do not know if it has water. We do not know if it has an atmosphere. We don't know that it is earthlike at all, beyond the facts that it may have liquid water on the surface, and it may have an atmosphere. That's still a long way from "supports life" or even "capable of supporting life." There are still many things we don't know which could render it completely inhospitable.
Don't get me wrong, I am also excited about this. I just want everyone to be very clear on exactly what was discovered, no more, and no less.
Obviously, the thing to do is make our entire society completely dependent on a super-rare mineral found only on this planet, and then try to commit xenocide in order to get at it.
Obviously, the thing to do is make our entire society completely dependent on a super-rare mineral found only on this planet, and then try to commit xenocide in order to get at it.
1) Telescopic spectroscopy to determine if it has an atmosphere and what the atmosphere contains. 2) Alcubierre drive and terraforming 3) ???? 4) PROFIT!
Hey, if we can travel close to the speed of light, we can make it in my lifetime. Sign me up.
Yeah! By the way, how's the 120+ millenia lifespan working out?
It's technically within the habitable zone, but it's three times the size of the Earth, it's tidally locked to its star with an average temperature that's freezing cold
1) The neighboring planet in the habitable zone is 5 times the size of earth and has 2g gravity. This planet would probably have tolerable gravity--Wikipedia's estimated surface gravity is only 1.1-1.7g. Liveable, though you'd definitely see bone structure changes after several generations. No speciation though. Think the difference between people from Earth and people from Jinx in Known Space.
2) Only one side is freezing. The other is REALLY hot. You could build in the relatively massive ring of the "terminator" (it's tidally locked, so there's no day/night or seasons), and it'll always be tolerably brisk and twilight there.
3) Composition is still an issue. We better start working on some way to move that isn't constrained by relativity; a probe traveling at 15000mph would get there in 900 millenia.
Comments
Yeah.
But I'd still go check it out if I could.
Space exploration funding increase, GO!
Don't get me wrong, I am also excited about this. I just want everyone to be very clear on exactly what was discovered, no more, and no less.
But seriously, this is so freaking awesome!
2) Alcubierre drive and terraforming
3) ????
4) PROFIT! Yeah! By the way, how's the 120+ millenia lifespan working out?1) The neighboring planet in the habitable zone is 5 times the size of earth and has 2g gravity. This planet would probably have tolerable gravity--Wikipedia's estimated surface gravity is only 1.1-1.7g. Liveable, though you'd definitely see bone structure changes after several generations. No speciation though. Think the difference between people from Earth and people from Jinx in Known Space.
2) Only one side is freezing. The other is REALLY hot. You could build in the relatively massive ring of the "terminator" (it's tidally locked, so there's no day/night or seasons), and it'll always be tolerably brisk and twilight there.
3) Composition is still an issue. We better start working on some way to move that isn't constrained by relativity; a probe traveling at 15000mph would get there in 900 millenia.