UM-Bot Posted March 28, 2015 #1 Share Posted March 28, 2015 (IP: Staff) · There could be two potentially habitable planets in a binary star system just 4.3 light years away. In cosmological terms Alpha Centauri is right on our doorstep, a binary star system that could one day become the destination of the first ever interstellar space mission. Read More: http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/279787/earth-like-worlds-may-exist-in-nearby-system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Cooper Merrin Posted March 28, 2015 #2 Share Posted March 28, 2015 (edited) Forgive my naivety, but is a light year a feasible distance for humanity to travel yet? Can a light year be put into layman's terms? Hours/miles etc? Edited March 28, 2015 by Father Merrin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imaginarynumber1 Posted March 28, 2015 #3 Share Posted March 28, 2015 (edited) Forgive my naivety, but is a light year a feasible distance for humanity to travel yet? Can a light year be put into layman's terms? Hours/miles etc? 9.4605284 × 10^15 meters Edited March 28, 2015 by Imaginarynumber1 2 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Cooper Merrin Posted March 28, 2015 #4 Share Posted March 28, 2015 9.4605284 × 10^15 meters ....laymans.....??? 3 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imaginarynumber1 Posted March 28, 2015 #5 Share Posted March 28, 2015 (edited) ....laymans.....??? A meter is a unit of length. A light year is a unit of length 9.4605284 x 10^15 = 946,052,840,000,000 meters ≈ the distance that light travels in a year through a vacuum 1 light year ≈ 9 trillion killometers ≈ 6 trillion miles And no, as of yet, it is not a feasible distance to travel. Edited March 28, 2015 by Imaginarynumber1 5 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted March 28, 2015 #6 Share Posted March 28, 2015 (IP: Staff) · ....laymans.....??? The fastest spacecraft at launch was New Horizons which reached a speed of 36,373 mph. At that speed it would take over 16,400 years to travel one light year and more than 77,000 years to reach Alpha Centauri 9 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawken Posted March 28, 2015 #7 Share Posted March 28, 2015 A space vehicle traveling at the speed of light is a snail's pace when you compare it to the vastness of space. 4 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblykiss Posted March 28, 2015 #8 Share Posted March 28, 2015 A meter is a unit of length. A light year is a unit of length 9.4605284 x 10^15 = 946,052,840,000,000 meters ≈ the distance that light travels in a year through a vacuum 1 light year ≈ 9 trillion killometers ≈ 6 trillion miles And no, as of yet, it is not a feasible distance to travel. Stop your wizard talk. Give me that equation worked out in the average length of a full grown north american jack rabbits, the only unit of measure that I use and recognize. 7 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Noteverythingisaconspiracy Posted March 28, 2015 #9 Share Posted March 28, 2015 (edited) Forgive my naivety, but is a light year a feasible distance for humanity to travel yet? Can a light year be put into layman's terms? Hours/miles etc? 1 light year is about 23,652,000 times farther than the moon, which is the longest we have travelled yet. In short: It's really, really, really long. I hope that helps. PS: Look at Waspie_Dwarfs signature for Douglas Adams (RIP) excellent explanation of the universe's size. PPS: Bubblykiss just how long is a full grown North American Jack rabbit ? Edited March 28, 2015 by Noteverythingisaconspiracy 3 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Imaginarynumber1 Posted March 28, 2015 Popular Post #10 Share Posted March 28, 2015 (edited) Stop your wizard talk. Give me that equation worked out in the average length of a full grown north american jack rabbits, the only unit of measure that I use and recognize. The measurements i can find say that a full grown jack rabbit is approximately 2 feet in length, so we'll use that. 1 light year ≈ 6 trillion miles 6 trillion miles ≈ 31,038,479,000,000,000 ft At approximately 2 feet per rabbit, there are approximately 15,519,239,500,000,000 jack rabbits per light year. Edited March 28, 2015 by Imaginarynumber1 10 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taun Posted March 29, 2015 #11 Share Posted March 29, 2015 The measurements i can find say that a full grown jack rabbit is approximately 2 feet in length, so we'll use that. 1 light year ≈ 6 trillion miles 6 trillion miles ≈ 31,038,479,000,000,000 ft At approximately 2 feet per rabbit, there are approximately 15,519,239,500,000,000 jack rabbits per light year. And speed should be displayed in more convenient terms as well... Such as FpF (Furlongs per Fortnight) 1 furlong = 660 feet (220 yards or 201.17 meters - give or take) 1 fortnight = 14 days 1 mile = 5280 feet Thusly the New Horizons probe would be traveling at: 36,373 (Mph) * 24 (hours) * 14 (days) = 12,343,632 (miles per fortnight) 12,343,632 * 5,280 (convert to feet) = 65,174,376,960 (feet per fortnight) 65,174,376,960 /660 (convert to furlongs) = 98,749,056 Furlongs per Fortnight... An automobile traveling at 50mph would be traveling at: 134,400 FpF (a cool way to make people think your piece of junk can really move!) See? It's easy and convenient... I think in the future everyone will switch over to this standard.... 8 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacekatbaby Posted March 29, 2015 #12 Share Posted March 29, 2015 (edited) Yes. But once we approached the speed of light strange things begin to happen. According to einstein. Its not as simple as that. We couldn't just hop in a spaceship and travel as fast as the light does, say like the same time it takes light to travel from the sun. I.e. so that it would take us 8 minutes to get to the sun. It doesn't work like that. Once you approach the speed of light time itself slows down and you are potentially in every part of time and space all at once. Mad **** happens when you go that fast! Edited March 29, 2015 by spacekatbaby 2 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imaginarynumber1 Posted March 29, 2015 #13 Share Posted March 29, 2015 (edited) And speed should be displayed in more convenient terms as well... Such as FpF (Furlongs per Fortnight) 1 furlong = 660 feet (220 yards or 201.17 meters - give or take) 1 fortnight = 14 days 1 mile = 5280 feet Thusly the New Horizons probe would be traveling at: 36,373 (Mph) * 24 (hours) * 14 (days) = 12,343,632 (miles per fortnight) 12,343,632 * 5,280 (convert to feet) = 65,174,376,960 (feet per fortnight) 65,174,376,960 /660 (convert to furlongs) = 98,749,056 Furlongs per Fortnight... An automobile traveling at 50mph would be traveling at: 134,400 FpF (a cool way to make people think your piece of junk can really move!) See? It's easy and convenient... I think in the future everyone will switch over to this standard.... A North America Jack wabbit can travel up to 40 mph. Assuming it could constantly travel at that speed; 40 (mph) * 24 (hours) * 14 (days) = 13440 (miles per fortnight) 13440 * 5280 = 70,963,200 (feet per fortnight) 70,963,200 / 660 =107,520 furlongs per fortnight for the average N American Jack Wabbit. Edited March 29, 2015 by Imaginarynumber1 5 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imaginarynumber1 Posted March 29, 2015 #14 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I had to convert distances to school bus lengths for a friend once for her to grasp how astronomical these distances can be. So for reference, assuming an average length of 35 ft per school bus, it takes ≈14,023,047,501.3 school buses to reach the sun. It takes ≈905,142,857,142,857.1 school buses to reach a light year 4 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieChecker Posted March 29, 2015 #15 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I think this is really good news. At one time it was believed that planets wouldn't form in a binary system, since it was believed gravity probably would tear them up or throw them out. 3 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred_mc Posted March 29, 2015 #16 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I don't find it that interesting that they have found planets too hot to support life around the nearest stars. A lot of too hot planets have already been found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atuke Posted March 29, 2015 #17 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Stop your wizard talk. Give me that equation worked out in the average length of a full grown north american jack rabbits, the only unit of measure that I use and recognize. Hahahahahahaha that's the funniest thing I've read in awhile! 1 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud the mackem Posted March 29, 2015 #18 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Taking Waspies figures to be correct (as He is our U.M. expert on space), there is no way that Humans are going to another Star system.So we must preserve the planet we live on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Cooper Merrin Posted March 29, 2015 #19 Share Posted March 29, 2015 These distances are unfathomable! I have very little knowledge of anything space related, but I'm fascinated by the vastness of it all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted March 29, 2015 #20 Share Posted March 29, 2015 (IP: Staff) · (edited) there is no way that Humans are going to another Star system. I would add, "in the foreseeable future" to that statement. Who knows what advances await us? A thousand years ago it would be inconceivable that people fly across oceans at 600 mph. So we must preserve the planet we live on. We should do that anyway. Just because you can journey to the other side of the world it doesn't mean you should burn your house down. Edited March 29, 2015 by Waspie_Dwarf 6 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imaginarynumber1 Posted March 29, 2015 #21 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I don't find it that interesting that they have found planets too hot to support life around the nearest stars. A lot of too hot planets have already been found. Good thing you're not the one searching for planets. 1 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psyche101 Posted March 30, 2015 #22 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Taking Waspies figures to be correct (as He is our U.M. expert on space), there is no way that Humans are going to another Star system.So we must preserve the planet we live on. Some good concepts out there already, and have been for some time. LINK - Project Longshot The journey to Alpha Centauri B orbit would take about 100 years, at an average velocity of approximately 13411 km/s, about 4.5% the speed of light, and another 4.39 years would be necessary for the data to reach Earth. 2 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taun Posted March 30, 2015 #23 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Some good concepts out there already, and have been for some time. LINK - Project Longshot The journey to Alpha Centauri B orbit would take about 100 years, at an average velocity of approximately 13411 km/s, about 4.5% the speed of light, and another 4.39 years would be necessary for the data to reach Earth. Probably very pricey... But doable... 1 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted March 30, 2015 #24 Share Posted March 30, 2015 (IP: Staff) · Probably very pricey... No probably about it. But doable... This is where the word "probably" should have been, or possibly "eventually". The propulsion system relies on nuclear fusion and, despite decades of trying, usable fusion is still, currently, beyond our grasp. 2 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted March 30, 2015 #25 Share Posted March 30, 2015 (IP: Staff) · Doing some further reading on the Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) which would be used as the propulsion method for Project Longshot. This is a method of nuclear fusion that has been researched since the 1970's. So far none of the experiments have achieved "ignition", only producing about 1/3 of the energy levels needed. Indeed it was not until October 2013 that more energy was released from the fuel pellets than was pumped in by the lasers. It seems we are still a fair distance away from being able to build Project Longshot. 2 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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