Are you surprised that an earth-like planet has just been discovered?

Question

Astronomers have found the most Earth-like planet outside our Solar System to date, a world which could have water running on its surface.

The planet orbits the faint star Gliese 581, which is 20.5 light-years away in the constellation Libra.

Scientists made the discovery using the Eso 3.6m Telescope in Chile.

They say the benign temperatures on the planet mean any water there could exist in liquid form, and this raises the chances it could also harbour life. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6589157.stm

What do you reckon to all this? Are you surprised?

As the Monty Python team once sang:

"So remember when you're feeling very small and insecure
just remember how amazing is your birth,
AND PRAY THAT THERE'S INTELLIGENT LIFE SOMEWHERE OUT IN SPACE
BECAUSE THERE'S bugg*r all DOWN HERE ON EARTH."

how amazingly unlikely is your birth, i mean... oh, never mind.

Just to clear something up: I've always found it ridiculous that people can seriously suggest that we're the only inhabited planet in a universe that is vast beyond any concept humanity can understand.

mika: I agree with you completely that we (as a species) have completely screwed up our own planet. Still, I don't think that fact has anything to do with most people's curiosity about what else is out there... being curious is part of human nature. It doesn't mean we're setting the controls for the heart of the sun!

Answer 1

Not surprised. I just hope that maybe there is intellegent life on that planet, because there sure as heck isn't any on this one.

Answer 2

Lord, give me strength!

The question is not terribly staggering -but the answers show why I'm beginning to think the patients are running the asylum.

Infinite universe? I doubt it. Inasmuch as the big U is a defined area -even if it is expanding and dynamic- there is, at any given time, a finite number of particles "out there," so the U's status as "infinite" is not subject to "belief." Besides which, this is a tautological argument, such that if true than of course there is an infinite number of possibilities. Call security.

Your question, which I see apparently comes from the somewhat murky depths of the BBC, does NOT ask if we are surpised that an earth-like planet exists -but rather, it asks if we are surpised that it has "just been discovered ..."

And so, of course, most respondents answer the question that was not asked -the "existence" one, I mean.

One respondent did pick up this nuance, noting surprise that the discovery was made so soon, but claiming to be underwhelmed that we have a distant neighbor that seems to be like us: send the champagne to that person.

And I would side with that person; I'm surprised in somewhat the same way I feel delighted when a mail order arrives a day or two ahead of expected delivery; I've been waiting for it, assume it will get here, but am happily surprised when it is sooner than I expected.

But, then again, the question concludes with more queries about being surprised by "...all this." The premises of the questions are a bit frail, however. I'm not sure why the mere existence of water raises the chances of life. All we know is that life and water seem to go together here on earth. And this touches on the whole notion of what life -as we undertand it thus far, and as we understand it HERE- needs to exist. Perhaps there are life forms which enjoy silica. I don't know. Since no one has YET, far as I know, discovered exactly what it was that took earthly chemicals and made them self-replicating, adaptative, and evolving, it is difficult to guess what boundary events or circumstances would produce a repeat performance elsewhere.

And so, resolving that and related issues await more data -just as HERE.

Now let's see if we have some help for the Almighty. If you don't think there is one, then there's no discussion. But if you think there is, then I see no reason why the Creator would not employ whatever means "He" thought might serve best. This poses no threat to theological thought, or worse, fundmantalist thought, that I can detect.

What has been left out of the question is any reference to the "Drake Equation," which is an attempt to calculate the chances of life "out there." Since we now have an actual "earth-like" planet (which is N sub e in the equation) how would the formula be modified -or would it, at all? Being as how the formula was spawned by another centre of British thought (the journal, "Nature") the BBC should be all over it by now. Good broadcast journalism, that.

I suppose there may now be some rush to detect "intelligent" (ie., not earth-like) like on G581.1 but if there is, I hope we have the good sense to leave those poor folks alone. By now, or soon, they shall be suffering old radio quiz shows and reruns of "I Love Lucy," God forbid.

Cheerio!
I shall look forward to the result of BBC's investigation.

Answer 3

I'm not surprised at all. When I was a kid I knew that every star was a sun ergo possibilities of a solar system orbiting them was quite probable, ergo, life outside earth was a fact. Of course most people thought I was crazy.

That's all very nice and full of speculation because they have no idea as to whether the planet is actually populated by indigenous species, added to the fact that it is kind of far away for us to reach it at the moment, and the most important lesson to learn from this is that we need to take care of this, our home planet first before settingo our eye on another one. Human beings should not become a parasite race that in the far far future colonizes planets, occupied or not, and treats them the same as their home planet.

Sounds a little too sci fi? well, Joan D. Vinge, a sci fi writer once said (and I quote) Sci fi is the archaeology of the future. Have you ever wondered why so many things mentioned in sci fi novels, series, books and such, become frighteningly true?

Answer 4

It was only a matter of time before what us Star Trek nerds call an M class planet was discovered. They've found over 200 planets but they haven't been in the Golilocks Zone. Given the amount of stars there are out there, there had to be more than one unique planet (Earth) capable of sustaining life. I also believe it's only a matter of time before life ... even intelligent life ... is also discovered. It is conceivable that we are the most advanced form of life in the Universe, after all, someone has to be the First, it could be us .... How depressing is that? I like to think that there are advanced civilisations out there and they either don't know we exist or they do and don't want to contact us to allow our own development to continue unhindered ...... ..... Or else they know ALL about us and don't want the human savages to contaminate the Universal community. Woah, what a lot to think about.

Answer 5

i would be more suprised if they haven't found any. the universe is so vast and the stars and planets are so numerous that it very possible that some planets have earth-like properties.
but it think scientists must not be limited to finding such planets like our own. because as i've said, there is an infinite number of heavenly bodies and there is an uncertainty about what we might discover about them. we don't know what kind of life is present in other planets. what if life out there does not thrive with water, probably they are sustained by another substance? in our planet, we know that life can exists is a variety of environments and conditions. what if on other planets life can exist on very cold or high temperatures? the thing is, i think we should broaden our idea about life.

Answer 6

First forget all the hype. There's no evidence to believe this planet is even remotely like Earth. All astronomers can measure at this time is the planet's approximate mass, it's approximate orbital radius and it's orbital period. They can't even tell the orbit's eccentricity.

From that they can conjecture that it is likely a rocky body like our own solar system's inner planets. It's orbit puts it in the 'Goldilocks' region of it's star: not too hot, not too cold. That means it possibly COULD, not necessarily has, Earthlike temperatures. It also means it possibly COULD, not necessarily has, water in liquid form.

The surface temperatures and presence of liquid water depends on the density and composition of it's atmosphere, the details of the planet's orbit as well as the presence of water at all in any form. Currently we lack the ability to measure any of these important details and can make no direct observations of the planet's chemistry or temperature.

Hence the media stories about the discovery of an earthlike planet are totally unfounded and complete speculation at this time. The best we can say is that we cannot rule out the possibility that the new planet could have conditions similar to Earth's.

Answer 7

Why should it be surprising that a planet something like Earth exists out there among the countless stars? We think the number of stars in the universe may approach infinity, so simple probability tells us that we’re not the only life.

And why does the possibility of life always presume that it must be life as we know it and needs earth-type water and oxygen? Why not beings that requires chlorine gas instead of Oxygen? And drink liquid helium?

Why not a silicon-based race (as opposed to us carbon-based creatures)?

Answer 8

At first I was, but once I thought about it, I wondered, how in the world did we think we were the only living life forms in space? There may be plenty more planets like ours. It's just that we haven't seen them due to the distance between us. But then again, they say water can exist, doesn't mean there is any. There is a pretty good chance though, seeming as the temp. is right for water.

Answer 9

I am not surprised, but I'm pretty pleased. With the sheer number of stars which we can see or detect, there's really no telling how many star systems are out there, and any of these has the potential to harbor Earth-like planets. It was bound to happen. As we further develop technology which will allow us to see deeper into space and in greater detail, we should be seeing more of these discoveries. It's a really exciting discovery nonetheless...

Answer 10

I am not surprised about it, however they believe the environment on 581c is closer to that of Mars.

I believe we will one day find a planet more like Earth. It would have a magnetic field, ozone, a moon nearly as massive as Earth's or two with a combine mass almost equal to the moon's, and liquid water and climate similar to Earth's. Life, not sure, but if we made it there we could breathe and plant plantlife and trees right away.

Answer 11

Surprised?-No.
Maybe aliens are the real gods/goddesses and the Old Testament (Yahweh) is/was a rebellious one who confused humans by claiming he was it. But then he got older and gave up that ridiculous past-time (which would be why the whole religious thing about communing with gods directly stopped) so now we (or our equipment, really) has evolved enough to find the planet they're on.