Bonam Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/09/16/n...ref=mpstoryview I think this is really exciting. Our detection capabilities are getting to the point where we are starting to detect planets of the same type of the Earth in other solar systems. With the Kepler mission under way and others to be launched in the coming decade, it's only a matter of time before we discover planets that are very Earth-like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeball Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Hatzes, explaining that one side of the body is always facing the star and the other side always faces away, said the side "facing the sun is probably molten. The other side could actually have ice" if there is water on the planet. This implies a terminator in which temperatures are constantly inside the so-called "Goldilocks" range that life as we know it needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogOnPorch Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 2000 degrees C on the day-side...-200 on the night-side. Incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonam Posted September 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 This implies a terminator in which temperatures are constantly inside the so-called "Goldilocks" range that life as we know it needs. Yeah I was thinking that too as I read the article. Of course we don't really know what the interplay of the various effects would really create in terms of an environment there, but interesting nonetheless. 2000 degrees C on the day-side...-200 on the night-side. Incredible. Indeed it certainly is incredible. Just the shear alien-ness of some of these places, the way that we keep finding surprise after surprise. It's just really cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverwind Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 This implies a terminator in which temperatures are constantly inside the so-called "Goldilocks" range that life as we know it needs.It is unlikely there would be a stable atmosphere at such a terminator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonam Posted September 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 (edited) It is unlikely there would be a stable atmosphere at such a terminator. Yes, even if the planet had any atmosphere at all, which is unlikely given how close it is to the star, I can hardly begin to imagine the kind of "wind" that would be generated by such a huge temperature gradient. If the planet has some mountains in the vicinity of the terminator though, and if those mountains had some caves... who knows... the possibilities are really endless. I think what this particular discovery shows is that that solar system would be a great candidate to train some planet-finding telescope on though, when possible, to find some more rocky planets perhaps further away from the star. Edited September 17, 2009 by Bonam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lance21 Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 I hope they discover it fast and make spaceships so people can transfer and leave there. The earth is over populated now. teak protector Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.