Water rich planet found 'nearby'

Ken_Is_Here

Saw this and thought you guys might be interested.
Apologies if it's been posted already.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/16/super.earth.discovery/index.html

Seem to be taking it as a given that it would support life.

Captain Chaos

Ken_Is_Here wrote: »

Saw this and thought you guys might be interested.
Apologies if it's been posted already.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/16/super.earth.discovery/index.html

Seem to be taking it as a given that it would support life.

On newscientist they reckon its a bit too close to it's star and whilest it is probable that its mainly a liquid that could well be water, the temperature is too hot for life to be comfortable, but then again that's just relative to us.

Stargate

Taken from the article

" The planet, named GJ 1214b, is 2.7 times as large as Earth and orbits a star much smaller and less luminous than our sun. That's significant, Charbonneau said, because for many years, astronomers assumed that planets only would be found orbiting stars that are similar in size to the sun.

Because of that assumption, researchers didn't spend much time looking for planets circling small stars, he said. The discovery of this "watery world" helps debunk the notion that Earth-like planets could form only in conditions similar to those in our solar system.

"Nature is just far more inventive in making planets than we were imagining," he said.

In a way, the newly discovered planet was sitting right in front of astronomers' faces, just waiting for them to look. Instead of using high-powered telescopes attached to satellites, they spotted the planet using an amateur-sized, 16-inch telescope on the ground. "


It might mean now more and more research and time will be given to Stars which before this they didnt bother to look at :eek:

Gurgle

Captain Chaos wrote: »

the temperature is too hot for life to be comfortable

Same could be said of most of Africa.

Its also got 'too thick of an atmosphere', whatever that means. Possibly referring to AP with much higher gravity. (Is that 2.7 times the diameter or the mass?)

There will presumably be a range of temperatures from poles to equator. If there is liquid water then the planet (or some portion of it) is in the comfort zone for earth type life.

Theres also likely to be oxygen (difficult to make water otherwise) though whether it exists as O2 in the atmosphere or not is unknown.

Carbon could be the problem, we'll just have to go and check.

Captain Chaos

Gurgle wrote: »

Same could be said of most of Africa..

Captain Chaos wrote: »

, the temperature is too hot for life to be comfortable, but then again that's just relative to us.

Had it covered. The surface temperature is stated at around 200C, depending the the atmospheric pressure like what was already said above the water or whatever liquid it actually is will be boiling or doing so very, very slowly.

Ken_Is_Here

Not a doubt in my mind that a planet like that would support Extremophiles.

Take a look at this little fella'
Tardigrade http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

Here's the important bit but worth a read:

Some can survive temperatures of -273°C, close to absolute zero,[5] temperatures as high as 151 °C (303 °F), 1,000 times more radiation than other animals such as humans,[6] almost a century without water [7], and even the vacuum of space.[8

Turtwig

Ken_Is_Here wrote: »

Not a doubt in my mind that a planet like that would support Extremophiles.

Take a look at this little fella'
Tardigrade http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

Here's the important bit but worth a read:

He's a fighter alright.:)