The discovery of Gliese 581 was one of the most exciting moments in extrasolar planetary researcher. Astronomers found an Earth-massed planet orbiting within the habitable zone of a distant star. This would mean that liquid water could be on its surface - and maybe life. Now there's even more evidence that Gliese 581 is living up to the speculation. Astronomers have published two independent studies this week, claiming that there are least 2 Earthlike planets orbiting the star within the habitability zone.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
More Evidence that Gliese 581 Has Planets in the Habitable Zone
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2 comments:
Orbital stability is fine, but as a commenter pointed out, we might have the classic one face locked toward the M-type star scenario doing the hot and cold thing. Twilight area with winds? Maybe.
Sounds like time to reinstate the Planet Finder and give it money to operate as another commenter there said.
Give it teeth by brushing off the original Project Orion and the Daedalus Project. With updates of course.
Not impossible. Just lack of will.
I have always felt that government sponsored "acclimation programs" would take the form of these kinds of news tid-bits. A very distant planet with life, a signal from way out there, bacteria on nearby planets, non threatening and oh so far away.
Once they've sunk these concepts into the business as usual paradigm for a few years they can let leak just how close "they" really are ;)
Denny
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