28 replies to this topic

[bouncer]

Astronomers have confirmed the existence of a new class of planet: a waterworld with a thick, steamy atmosphere.

Observations using the Hubble telescope now seem to confirm that a large fraction of its mass is water.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onment-17117030

At least were getting slowly better at finding these things,

Edited by bouncer, 22 February 2012 - 09:44 AM.

[Device]

I know its slightly irrelevant but I have to say it; you can be sure the universe is crawling with life.

Edited by Device, 22 February 2012 - 11:50 AM.

[Habitat]

Sounds like a place for a Kevin Costner movie !

[bouncer]

Device, on 22 February 2012 - 11:46 AM, said:

I know its slightly irrelevant but I have to say it; you can be sure the universe is crawling with life.

No I think its totally relevant, as our tech' improves, and thats just a matter of time, we will end up 'knowing for sure' we are just one planet among hundreds or thousands with some degree of life on!!

[I Am Not Resisting]

Habitat, on 22 February 2012 - 12:40 PM, said:

Sounds like a place for a Kevin Costner movie !

Lol that's what I was thinking about when I saw the title of the thread.

[OverSword]

Yet another planet discovered where there is zero chance of human survival.  I'm almost willing to bet that other planets capable of supporting human life are so few and far between that our best bet is to ensure the longevity of our own planets ability to do this.  By that same token I'd wager that extra-solar planets that support life, support life that would find existence on our planet intolerable.  This would be due mainly to differences in gravity and atmospheric pressure.  Try to exist too long in more or less gravity than the human body is meant for and your body starts to deteriorate and shut down.  Same with atmospheric pressure.  If you don't want to live in a completely artificial enclosed environment (like the ISS) your only choice is likely this planet and the same is probably true for any life on planets other than our own.

[spud the mackem]

We have life here that lives in volcanic vents under the sea,so although humans could not go there,it is possible that life exists,we are NOT alone in the universe.

[OverSword]

I agree, I just don't think there are many other places we can live naked, and without technology.  It would make sense that it would be the same for alien species and thier native environments.

[The Dreamer - Hybrid89]

Interesting. You'll always have people saying this and that out of total fear or disbelief but remember, Once we thought the earth was flat. It may not be today or tomorrow or next year or a decade form now or not even a century from now but at some point we will go into space. Its in our nature to spread our roots and explore.

[Habitat]

OverSword, on 22 February 2012 - 05:34 PM, said:

Yet another planet discovered where there is zero chance of human survival.  I'm almost willing to bet that other planets capable of supporting human life are so few and far between that our best bet is to ensure the longevity of our own planets ability to do this.  By that same token I'd wager that extra-solar planets that support life, support life that would find existence on our planet intolerable.  This would be due mainly to differences in gravity and atmospheric pressure.  Try to exist too long in more or less gravity than the human body is meant for and your body starts to deteriorate and shut down.  Same with atmospheric pressure.  If you don't want to live in a completely artificial enclosed environment (like the ISS) your only choice is likely this planet and the same is probably true for any life on planets other than our own.

Some good points made here, We are purpose-built for the Earth environment, the idea we can set up home on faraway planets is wildly optimistic at best.

[OverSword]

Hybrid89, on 22 February 2012 - 11:16 PM, said:

Interesting. You'll always have people saying this and that out of total fear or disbelief but remember, Once we thought the earth was flat. It may not be today or tomorrow or next year or a decade form now or not even a century from now but at some point we will go into space. Its in our nature to spread our roots and explore.

If you are reffering to me then you're mistaken.  Example, the mass of a planet determines how much gravity pull that body generates.  A planet much smaller than the earth and bone density deteriorates to the point where after a couple of years you are a weak bag of jelly, a planet much bigger than the earth and your joints give out and you have a heart attack from your heart working too hard just to pump blood through you viens.  I'm not saying other planets don't have life, I'm saying that any life they have will be evolved to live in that planets unique environment.

It's not out of fear, it's out of years of contemplation that I have reached my conclusions.  I used to be of the "one day aliens will visit us or we will visit them" crowd, but the more thought I give to it the more reasons I find against rather than for that idea.  We truly do live in one very narrowly defined type of environment, we must live in an oxygen rich atmoshphere between more than freezing and less than boiling temperatures.  Even so-called extremophiles would wither and die soon after being brought to live where you live because they evolved to live where they live.

[epochrider]

maybe that's why so many reports of visitors have them in skin tight outfits....

[DieChecker]

OverSword, on 22 February 2012 - 11:09 PM, said:

I agree, I just don't think there are many other places we can live naked, and without technology.  It would make sense that it would be the same for alien species and thier native environments.

There is not really that much of our own Earth that humans could survive in naked with no tools. Even a regular Iowa/German/Mongolian winter would kill off almost the entire human population without technology/fire/clothing.

Humans create their own environment, so that is really not a good arguement.

Likewise, acceleration due to gravity is not linear, and a small planet, like Mars, might only have 40% of Earth normal gravity, but studies have shown that at around 50% gravity humans barely notice the effect of the lightening. Quite probably we'd just wear heavier clothes. If you weigh 150 pounds on Earth adding 75 pounds of clothes/belts would work your muscles like Earth normal.

Even a planet twice the diameter of the Earth would be little problem for humans, as I see 300 and 400 pound humans running around all the time. A planet 8 times the mass of Earth would have a gravity of like 1.3 Gs, so a 200 pound man would feel like 260 pounds. Not a big deal. True, over time it might cause problems, but no more then Obesity causes now.

As to not finding any livable planets... You do understand how they are finding these planets right? They can only find them because they are either super massive and thus wobble their star, or because they are so close they can easily be seen to eclipse the star. Rocky planets like Earth that are within the Goldilocks zone are not going to be found easily using current methods.

[I Am Not Resisting]

DieChecker, on 23 February 2012 - 12:50 AM, said:

Even a planet twice the diameter of the Earth would be little problem for humans, as I see 300 and 400 pound humans running around all the time.

Really?  I don't see them doing too much running at all.  

[psyche101]

Thanks Quillius

It is an amazing find, I am hoping we can get more on it. If it is so close to the sun, and covered in a haze, does anyone know, why would this planet be more like Titan, and not like Venus?

40 Light years, gee that is a long way. I do wonder if we will ever get a better look at it.

epochrider, on 23 February 2012 - 12:35 AM, said:

maybe that's why so many reports of visitors have them in skin tight outfits....

Nah, that is just to get our attention

Edited by psyche101, 23 February 2012 - 01:19 AM.