I heard it has water there how far advanced do you think they are?
2007-06-02 05:46:21 · 10 answers · asked by Mar673 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The planet is five times the mass of Earth, and at the distance it orbits it's probably tidally locked to the star (one side has perpetual day, the other perpetual night). So it's probably not very Earthlike at all. As big as it is it probably has a much thicker atmosphere than Earth.
If it was Earthlike it would probably be totally covered with ocean, with a very thick atmosphere and probably perpetually cloudy like Venus. The surface would probably be very hot, it'd be like being inside a pot full of boiling water.
2007-06-03 11:13:20 · answer #1 · answered by Somes J 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gliese 581c
This newly-discovered planet where life is thought to be feasible orbits Gliese 581, one of the nearest 100 stars to us, 20.4 light years away.
The new planet was found on 23rd April 2007 by a team led by Stephane Udry of Geneva University, The observatory they used was high in the Chilean Andes, where good viewing conditions would be available.
It is in the constellation Libra. It is the 87th closest star system to us. Its star (a Red Dwarf) is too faint to be seen with the naked eye, however. Its magnitude is 11.56.
What is unusual about Gliese 581c, amongst the 241 planets we have found orbiting other stars is
a) it is a rocky terrestrial planet not a gas giant
b) it is in the habitable zone i.e. with a temperature range at which water would be a liquid not ice. This is felt to be essential if it is to harbour life.
c) it has a radius 1.5 times that of earth (and a mass 5 x earth), the smallest yet,
(d) It orbits very close to its star (as the star, a Red Dwarf, is much cooler than our Sun, the planet needs to be nearer in to be warm enough to be habitable) and its year is a mere 13 Earth days in length.
There are two other planets in the same stellar system, one even further in (Gliese 581 b) a Neptune-sized planet of 17 Earth masses found in 2005 and one further out (Gliese 581 d) a planet of 8 Earth masses found in 2007.
The big question marks are:
(a) it is big enough to retain an atmosphere but is it breathable by humans?
(b) does it actually have (a plentiful supply of) water?
(c) how would we get there? (our present fastest rockets available would take 300,000 years)
(d) is the planet gravitationally locked to ts star, such that the same side of it always faces the star?
Many of the questions people will inevitably ask can only be answered when we can send an unmanned probe there. Meanwhile other planets will be found even nearer to us. (We know of a planet 10.5 light years away around Epsilon Eridani (the 9th nearest star) and 3 around Gliese 876, 15 light years away.)
Wilhelm Gliese was a German astronomer, best known for the Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars that he compiled.
2007-06-02 06:26:19 · answer #2 · answered by crabapples 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The fact that there is water on that planet, is a BIG plus if you are looking for life. For life to be practical you need water and an atmosphere, and I dough that this new planet has a atmosphere. There is a very low possibility of life in the form of algae or plankton, but that is all that could exist with out a atmosphere
2007-06-02 06:02:50 · answer #3 · answered by cttaylor01 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No doubt you are referring to the discovery of Gliese 581c. You are also undoubtedly jumping to conclusions. There's been no evidence of life on any exoplanet (planet outside our solar system) thus far. This is the first planet found that is somewhat close to the size of Earth and believe MAY have the ingredients necessary to harbor life.
Refer to the link below for more detailed information regarding this new find.
2007-06-02 06:00:41 · answer #4 · answered by Knight Errant 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The odds of finding a planet with life on it are too slim. The requirements for life to be present (as we know it) are very particular and even then, there is no guarantee that life has formed. Maybe one day, but we've only discovered a few planets.
2007-06-02 06:00:51 · answer #5 · answered by Grant F 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It makes no difference as it is so far away there is very little chance that we could communicate.
2007-06-02 08:29:18 · answer #6 · answered by JOHNNIE B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depend on our luck... Do you ever win at the loto before?
Me too, so I guess were not getting that lucky at this time...
2007-06-02 10:37:56 · answer #7 · answered by Jedi squirrels 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
intelligent life? very unlikely. primitive life like microscopic organisms? possibly.
2007-06-02 06:04:38 · answer #8 · answered by neutron 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is almost certain that they are not inteligent at all, probably not even complex organisms, the chances of there being intelligent organism there is minscuel
2007-06-02 05:55:05 · answer #9 · answered by spacemonkey1958 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do I think "it's" life? Hmmm
If there is life, it's probably algae
2007-06-02 05:54:48 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋