Has seti already aimed here?? if not are they now that the first extra-solar goldie locks zone planet has been found??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliese_581_c

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"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

Moderator moved the previous message from another thread about the same planet. Thx mod and sry J

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"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

I can see a star pulling up big tides on a planet so close, heating up the planet and then grinding that planet to a screeching halt so it always faces the star. I would guess tidal heating would be minimized after the planet started to perpetually face the star. An elliptical orbit might cause additional heating, though. Don't know whether aliens could live in the twilight zones or not.

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I can see a star pulling up big tides on a planet so close, heating up the planet and then grinding that planet to a screeching halt so it always faces the star. I would guess tidal heating would be minimized after the planet started to perpetually face the star. An elliptical orbit might cause additional heating, though. Don't know whether aliens could live in the twilight zones or not.

A sufficiently elliptical orbit can mess with tidal locking. For example, Mercury is not tidally locked to the sun, but has exactly three days every two orbits. A similar though could perhaps work with planets of red dwarf stars. If Gliese 581c had the 3:2 relationship, its day would be just under 9 earth days long.

...For example, Mercury is not tidally locked to the sun, but has exactly three days every two orbits.

Mercury gets weirder than that!

Wikipedia: Mercury
At certain points on Mercury’s surface, an observer would be able to see the Sun rise about halfway, then reverse and set before rising again, all within the same Mercurian day.

With a surface temperature ranging around 0 deg C: life?


Keep searchin',
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
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Well for one we were lucky to even look at this planet. To say it does or does not rotate is ridiculous. We cannot see that far even if we wanted to. Thats why it was discovered by the "flicker of light" of the planet moving in front of its star.

Even more, we don't even have any conclusive proof or evidence that this planet is livable. We have no clue how warm or cold it is and we don't know anything about it other than its there.

I am not sure how they even got the size of it and the location to determine "that its in a habitable zone." Maybe it has to do with the about of light the planet blocks when moving in front of its sun.

So all in all, what we know: It is a planet, with a sun and possible moon, it is earth SIZED...and really, in all logical thinking, and knowledge, thats all we "really" know.

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"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible". Hebrews 11.3

...Even more, we don't even have any conclusive proof or evidence that this planet is livable. We have no clue how warm or cold it is and we don't know anything about it other than its there.

I am not sure how they even got the size of it and the location to determine "that its in a habitable zone." Maybe it has to do with the about of light the planet blocks when moving in front of its sun.

So all in all, what we know: It is a planet, with a sun and possible moon, it is earth SIZED...and really, in all logical thinking, and knowledge, thats all we "really" know.

And you make vast assumptions for everyone else from how little you know...

A little physics, some detailed observations, a little general knowledge to guide a few 'educated' assumptions, and voila!


I'll agree that the discoveries being made from millions of years old light are indeed startling!

Please look again ;-)

Keep searchin',
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
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I see ML1 is spreading the love again.



;p

.

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"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

I see ML1 is spreading the love again.

Just a gentle nudge to get some thoughts into motion! ;-)


When the laws of Nature have been discovered in their entirety, it will be found that though all things are not permitted, all things are possible.
- Shane Leslie (1885 - 1971)


Keep searchin',
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

...Even more, we don't even have any conclusive proof or evidence that this planet is livable. We have no clue how warm or cold it is and we don't know anything about it other than its there.

I am not sure how they even got the size of it and the location to determine "that its in a habitable zone." Maybe it has to do with the about of light the planet blocks when moving in front of its sun.

So all in all, what we know: It is a planet, with a sun and possible moon, it is earth SIZED...and really, in all logical thinking, and knowledge, thats all we "really" know.

And you make vast assumptions for everyone else from how little you know...

A little physics, some detailed observations, a little general knowledge to guide a few 'educated' assumptions, and voila!


I'll agree that the discoveries being made from millions of years old light are indeed startling!

Please look again ;-)

Keep searchin',
Martin

Really? Do we have pictures of the planet? Have we sent any satellites there? Do we have atmospheric samples? No. No. And No.

We have no clue whotsoever what the conditions on this planet are like, whats one it, if water at all, who or what is there etc...

Don't get me wrong. I am very excited about the find as well, and am as anxious and interested as anyone in here, but we do have to be at least somewhat realistic about the situation. I want this to be "the planet" too.

Maybe if we send a probe, similar to Voyager, which is sttill traveling strong, and still transmitting, then we can get a better Idea of what we see.

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"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible". Hebrews 11.3

A probe will not work it will take much too long to get there the TPF or Darwin will work for that situation.

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A probe will not work it will take much too long to get there the TPF or Darwin will work for that situation.

Sorry...should have clarified: ...probe, or something.... ;-)

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"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible". Hebrews 11.3

Really? Do we have pictures of the planet? Have we sent any satellites there? Do we have atmospheric samples? No. No. And No.

We have no clue whotsoever what the conditions on this planet are like, whats one it, if water at all, who or what is there etc...

[...]

Maybe if we send a probe, similar to Voyager, which is sttill traveling strong, and still transmitting, then we can get a better Idea of what we see.

No need to.

There is an awful lot that can be deduced by some careful observation and remote sensing.

Just one simple example is in the studying of the light spectra... Take a look at what is being uncovered about Mars to see the sort of stuff that can be seen other than just a few pretty pictures.

(And no fancy "tachyon" imaging required!)

Keep searchin',
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

We have no clue whotsoever what the conditions on this planet are like, whats one it, if water at all, who or what is there etc...

See: Life on Vulcan

See also: First Exoplanet Weather Map

... And that's only one small part of Astronomy and associated sciences...

Keep searchin',
Martin

[edit] Second link added [/edit]

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

All we know is that there is a regular gravimetric disturbance at that star.
It could be a planet, most likely is, but speculating as to the particulars of that object, is simply that, speculation, and will remain so until we have the technology to sample a little bit of the light from that body.

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*** Those who know, don't speak,
those who speak, don't know ***

All we know is that there is a regular gravimetric disturbance at that star.
It could be a planet, most likely is, but speculating as to the particulars of that object, is simply that, speculation, and will remain so until we have the technology to sample a little bit of the light from that body.

Still, I think it's exciting to imagine another earth like planet.

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double trouble ;)

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Discovery HD Theater had a show on what life (similar to life as we know it) could be like on a tidally locked, somewhat Earth-like, rocky and wet, planet orbiting a red dwarf.

They got a bunch of biologists, chemists, astronomers, astrobiologists, geologists, meteorologists, etc together to bang heads. The show air long before the announcement of 581c.

I forget the name of the show, but it was pretty cool. The main staple of life were big, tree-like, plants that would blossom to absorb as much solar energy as possible. They didn't do much all (perpetual) day long except soak up the sun. They were able to "walk" short distances so they could constantly angle themselves to the sun. They also made animal-like noises.

Other critters were a big "bird" that pretty much stayed in the dense sky and a little groundhog type critter. The atmosphere was so dense that the "bird" could just stay airborne like a kite. The "birds" ate the plants and the "groundhogs". The "groundhogs" ate the leftovers of when the "birds" ate the "plants". In the water, there was algae-like crap that pretty much ate anything it could (think of the algae like a school of piranha). The "algae" would even crawl, en mass, out of the water to attack the "birds" when they were on the ground.

Whenever there were solar flares building up, the "groundhogs" would scurry for shelter while the "trees" would close their blossoms. Many of the "birds" were pretty much screwed, so they would get radiated and fall to the ground and become food for the algae...

On the perpetual night side, not much of anything goes on... Convection brings heat from the day side, but it is still a dark, dreary, cold, and dead place. Land is cheap over there...

All guesswork, but...

On the perpetual night side, not much of anything goes on... Convection brings heat from the day side, but it is still a dark, dreary, cold, and dead place. Land is cheap over there...

All guesswork, but...

Well, since we're indulging in guesswork and idle speculation I'll dive right in.

I reckon the night side of a tidally locked Earth-like planet orbiting a red dwarf might be a bit like the Arctic Ocean or the Jovian moon Europa. Those bits of it that are ocean, anyway. The land areas might be something like a cross between the Moon and Pluto.

If the planet is about the size of the Earth, the oceans on the far side could well have volcanic vents on the sea floor that would provide an energy source for life. The surface of the ocean would probably be a thick ice shelf like the Arctic or Europa, but life might well flourish on the sea floor.