Major Discovery: Entire solar system could support life

Finbarr Murphy

This is certainly exciting!

mickmac76

Great discovery by all involved, can't wait for the James Webb telescope to be launched and investigate these sort of systems.

forestgirl

Maybe that's where all the dead people are gone

ps200306

Before we get too excited, let's not forget the X-ray flux from M type dwarfs that we discussed in respect of Proxima Centauri. The planets in this new discovery are only spitting distance from their parent star. The Goldilocks zone ones get 1,000 to 2,500 times the X-ray flux that a star at Earth's distance from the some star would.

Jan_de_Bakker

forestgirl wrote: »

Maybe that's where all the dead people are gone

what ??

Gwynston

More info from the BBC: Star's seven Earth-sized worlds set record

Which includes this amusing "holiday brochure" by NASA:

Capt'n Midnight

ps200306 wrote: »

Before we get too excited, let's not forget the X-ray flux from M type dwarfs that we discussed in respect of Proxima Centauri. The planets in this new discovery are only spitting distance from their parent star. The Goldilocks zone ones get 1,000 to 2,500 times the X-ray flux that a star at Earth's distance from the some star would.

So they'll evolve faster ?

They are tidally locked so dosage will vary depending on where you are, also lots of things here can cope with large doses of radiation.

Steve

Why is it that people continue to think that 'life' = a goldilocks planet when it has been proven otherwise. e.g in zero o2 in hyper pressures at the bottom of trenches and and at extreme temperatures and acitity such as sulphur vents.

Rgb.ie

Steve wrote: »

Why is it that people continue to think that 'life' = a goldilocks planet when it has been proven otherwise. e.g in zero o2 in hyper pressures at the bottom of trenches and and at extreme temperatures and acitity such as sulphur vents.

This.

Strangely enough, I have not seen many people stating the above.

Mickeroo

Steve wrote: »

Why is it that people continue to think that 'life' = a goldilocks planet when it has been proven otherwise. e.g in zero o2 in hyper pressures at the bottom of trenches and and at extreme temperatures and acitity such as sulphur vents.

Liquid water is the main factor I'm guessing?

alchemist33

forestgirl wrote: »

Maybe that's where all the dead people are gone

Jan_de_Bakker wrote: »

what ??

Riverworld reference?

Steve

Mickeroo wrote: »

Liquid water is the main factor I'm guessing?

Says the life form that evolved in a liquid water environment.

A life form that evolved in a liquid hydrogen (or iron or whatever) environment would be equally as skeptical as to our existence.

mickmackey1

Steve wrote: »

Why is it that people continue to think that 'life' = a goldilocks planet when it has been proven otherwise. e.g in zero o2 in hyper pressures at the bottom of trenches and and at extreme temperatures and acitity such as sulphur vents.

It has been proven that life can adapt to those conditions, but not that it can originate in those conditions. Big difference.

Steve

mickmackey1 wrote: »

It has been proven that life can adapt to those conditions, but not that it can originate in those conditions. Big difference.

No offence, but that's based on a very narrow minded view that life must only exist within the realm of what we can exist in.

Waterbears are a good example of what can exist on the fringes of what we know, it's not a great leap to speculate beyond their capabilities.

mickmackey1

Steve wrote: »

No offence, but that's based on a very narrow minded view that life must only exist within the realm of what we can exist in.

Waterbears are a good example of what can exist on the fringes of what we know, it's not a great leap to speculate beyond their capabilities.

Well that's what it is, pure speculation. Plenty of alien conditions elsewhere in the Solar System, but not a shred of evidence for life.

kippy

mickmackey1 wrote: »

Well that's what it is, pure speculation. Plenty of alien conditions elsewhere in the Solar System, but not a shred of evidence for life.

Not a shred of evidence for life.......as we know it........

Steve

mickmackey1 wrote: »

Well that's what it is, pure speculation. Plenty of alien conditions elsewhere in the Solar System, but not a shred of evidence for life.

It wasn't so long ago (in cosmic terms) that the world was flat / lived on the back of a turtle / our planet was the center of the universe / etc and anyone who argued against that was executed..

ps200306

Steve wrote: »

A life form that evolved in a liquid hydrogen (or iron or whatever) environment would be equally as skeptical as to our existence.

We have extremely strong reasons to believe that liquid hydrogen and liquid iron are not suitable solvents for any sort of biological process.

Steve wrote: »

Waterbears are a good example of what can exist on the fringes of what we know, it's not a great leap to speculate beyond their capabilities.

That fable has grown more legs than it can support. Waterbears have survived exposure to vacuum and radiation. They have not grown or reproduced in those conditions. Saying they do not die quickly is not the same as saying they thrive. With prolonged exposure they become dessicated and die, just like all other organisms that require water.

Steve wrote: »

It wasn't so long ago (in cosmic terms) that the world was flat / lived on the back of a turtle / our planet was the center of the universe / etc and anyone who argued against that was executed..

That, though, is an 'argumentum ad ignorantiam'. While we were learning that our planet was round and orbited the Sun, we were also making headway about how life works. Not just our life, or even just life on earth, but some basic conditions for any plausible life. That's why, for example, we are more interested in Mars than in Mercury (which is easier to get to).

Steve

Mars can be visited by humans and they can, for a while, survive there. The same cannot be said of Mercury.

That does not preclude the existence of indigenous life there. It's unlikely, I agree but nonetheless possible.

ScumLord

Steve wrote: »

Why is it that people continue to think that 'life' = a goldilocks planet when it has been proven otherwise. e.g in zero o2 in hyper pressures at the bottom of trenches and and at extreme temperatures and acitity such as sulphur vents.

NASA scientist: We'll have to alert the press of this incredible find!
The media: So you found planets around another star?
NASA scientist: Yeah it a lot different than anything we were expecting.
The media: Is there life there?
NASA Scientist: Well, we have no way of knowing that, the solar system is very different from our own, the location of the planets and the output of that star means it's possible there's water on some of them which opens up the possibility they could support life.

Media headlines: NASA FINDS LIFE ON SEVEN OTHER PLANETS!!! They'll probably enslave us all.

maninasia

Lads I refer you to this thread .

https://www.boards.ie/b/thread/2056127581