New Planet Could Harbor Water and Life


	New Planet Could Harbor Water and Life

4freedomstantra

4-29-2009 10:58 PM

226 views

tags:

planet, earth, super-earth, geneva observatory, gliese 581, science, xavier delfosse, space, astronomy

4freedomstantra says:

An Earth-like planet spotted outside our solar system is the first found that could support liquid water and harbor life, scientists announced today.

1 Comment |

Add a Comment

8-19-2009 5:54 AM

murieleileen

When we find a planet with life what will we do with it? Destroy it like we are destroying this one? Make peace with life there? We can't make peace here.

Login to Comment. Not a member yet? Sign up

Today's Top Clips

visit the Top Clips page

View the Top Clips from April 29, 2009

Embed This Clip In Your Site...

<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/981570e1-f180-4c1f-8f98-8ccd5f1687fa/EBE0BEF0-5E9B-4867-9FC2-370D95FA83CB/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070424_hab_exoplanet.html" href="http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070424_hab_exoplanet.html" style="font-size: 11px;">www.space.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070424_hab_exoplanet.html"><P>An Earth-like planet spotted outside our solar system is the first found that could support liquid water and harbor life, scientists announced today. </P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070424_hab_exoplanet.html"><P>Liquid water is a key ingredient for life as we know it. The <A href="http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=070424_gliese581c_02.jpg&cap=Artist%27s+impression+of+the+planetary+system+around+the+red+dwarf+Gliese+581.+Using+the+instrument+HARPS+on+the+ESO+3.6-m+telescope%2C+astronomers+have+uncov">newfound planet</A> is located at the "Goldilocks" distance-not too close and not too far from its star to keep water on its surface from freezing or vaporizing away.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070424_hab_exoplanet.html"><P>And while astronomers are not yet able to look for signs of biology on the planet, the discovery is a milestone in planet detection and the search for extraterrestrial life, one with the potential to profoundly change our outlook on the universe.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070424_hab_exoplanet.html"><P>"The goal is to find life on a planet like the Earth around a star like the Sun. This is a step in that direction," said study leader Stephane Udry of the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland. "Each time you go one step forward you are very happy."</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070424_hab_exoplanet.html">The new planet is about 50 percent bigger than Earth and about five times more massive.</blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/EBE0BEF0-5E9B-4867-9FC2-370D95FA83CB/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content6.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>