New Planet Could Harbor Water and Life


	New Planet Could Harbor Water and Life

4freedomstantra

4-29-2009 10:58 PM

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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.

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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.

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<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/e4efca61-5b77-4ee6-8c03-a3f0ecfe6b8e/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://content7.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>