Scientest discover richest planetery system outside of our own.

[Zilla]

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Astronomers have discovered a group of at least five planets — with hints of two more — circling around a star in an arrangement similar to our own solar system. Confirmation of the extra planets would make this the highest tally of alien worlds ever spotted around a single star.

 

The planets and their own sun-like star are about 127 light-years from Earth' date=' astronomers with the European Southern Observatory said. It is one of just 15 planetary systems known to have more than three worlds.

 

The five planets circle their parent star, HD 10180, in a regular pattern like the planets of our solar system, only in a more compact arrangement, the researchers said.

 

 

Of the two potential additional planets that may be present, one may have a mass that is the closest to the Earth's yet seen, if it is confirmed, they added. [ The Strangest Alien Planets ]

 

"We have found what is most likely the system with the most planets yet discovered," astronomer Christophe Lovis, lead author of the study, said in a statement Tuesday. "This remarkable discovery also highlights the fact that we are now entering a new era in exoplanet research: the study of complex planetary systems and not just of individual planets.

 

"Studies of planetary motions in the new system reveal complex gravitational interactions between the planets and give us insights into the long-term evolution of the system."

 

 

The research was announced at an international colloquium on extrasolar planets at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence, France. It came just days ahead of a scheduled announcement from NASA's Kepler planet-hunting mission to discuss an "intriguing planetary system."

 

Lovis and his team used the planet-hunting HARPS spectrograph instrument on a 3.6-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory in La Silla, Chile, to detect the system in the constellation Hydrus.

 

The instrument allows astronomers to measure the movement, or "wobble," of a star caused by the gravitational pull of planets orbiting around it.

 

The five strongest wobble signals were caused by planets with masses similar to Neptune, between 13 and 25 times the mass of the Earth.

 

Though these planets are relatively large, they are located close to their parent star and race around at intervals that range from just six days to 600 days.

 

The closest planet is not quite 5.6 million miles (9 million km) from HD 10180, compared to the 93 million miles (150 million km) separating Earth from the sun, a distance also known as an astronomical unit. The distance of the farthest one from its star is about 1.4 AU.

 

When compared to our solar system, all of these planets would fit inside the orbit of Mars and appear to have nearly circular orbits.

 

The wobble method for detecting alien planets also suggested more worlds are orbiting HD 10180, one of them up close and the other far off.

 

We also have good reasons to believe that two other planets are present," Lovis said.

 

One of these extra planets, if confirmed, would be much like Saturn, with at least 65 times the mass of Earth and year that lasts 2,200 days.

 

The other potential planet is the most tantalizing for astronomers. If confirmed, it would be the least massive world ever found outside our solar system, with a mass just 1.4 times that of Earth. It is thought to orbit extremely close to the star — just 2 percent of an AU — and completes its circuit in only 1.18 Earth days, researchers said.

 

"This object causes a wobble of its star of only about 3 km/hour — slower than walking speed — and this motion is very hard to measure," said study team member Damien Segransan.

 

This planet would probably be a small, rocky world similar to the hellish planet Corot-7b, which orbits close to a different star. There the daytime temperatures can reach 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,200 degrees Celsius), with nighttime lows of minus 350 F (minus 210 C).

 

The newly found system could set the extrasolar record for most known planets. It currently shares the record with the system around the star 55 Cancri, which has five planets, two of them gas giants.

 

No gas giants seem to be present in the HD 10180 star system.

 

"Systems of low-mass planets like the one around HD 10180 appear to be quite common, but their formation history remains a puzzle," Lovis said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

good to see things like this are found; even more signs that we are probably not alone in the Universe, probably even the Galaxy. Too bad the planet that is small is so close to it's star.

[Jeffwilson99]

It's still crazy to think that it's 127 light years away, so any light being emitted from that star is going to be 127 years old.

[All_Is_Great]

This is really cool! Been interested in the space beyond for the longest time. Although I haven't been reading about it much recently. I can just imagine what the possibilities could be if there were other systems like ours. It is pretty different though, since most of the "worlds" there are less than 1.4 AUs away, but still awesome.

[Guest Mrmegakirby]

127 light years away... So even if we discovered a way to travel at light speed, we wouldn't be able to live long enough to make it there.

[Tim]

127 light years away... So even if we discovered a way to travel at light speed, we wouldn't be able to live long enough to make it there.

As the Comic book guy says: "WARP SPEED, ENGAGE!"

[Shiny]

127 light years away... So even if we discovered a way to travel at light speed, we wouldn't be able to live long enough to make it there.

As the Comic book guy says: "WARP SPEED, ENGAGE!"

 

Hypersleep is far far cooler. And yes Roccodog, they are implying that.

 

I want to visit another Earth-like planet.

[Guest Mrmegakirby]

.

[Albel]

127 light years away... So even if we discovered a way to travel at light speed, we wouldn't be able to live long enough to make it there.

The faster you go through space, the slower you go through time. For example, if someone was to go the speed of light (186,000 Miles per second or 5,865,696,000,000 miles per year) for one year they would have actually moved 1000 years in our time. This still means though it would take them 127 years to get there, but for us it would be 127,000 years. They would have to be like robot human hybrids or something. And then then more then likely the companies that sent them to being with would be no longer around. [/geek]

[Guest Mrmegakirby]

.

[Albel]

127 light years away... So even if we discovered a way to travel at light speed, we wouldn't be able to live long enough to make it there.

The faster you go through space, the slower you go through time. For example, if someone was to go the speed of light (186,000 Miles per second or 5,865,696,000,000 miles per year) for one year they would have actually moved 1000 years in our time. This still means though it would take them 127 years to get there, but for us it would be 127,000 years. They would have to be like robot human hybrids or something. And then then more then likely the companies that sent them to being with would be no longer around. [/geek]

 

Right.... I thought it worked the other way, though, that time sped up for us, and slowed down for them. But you're probally right, i don't know much about it :lol:

Ill post this one thought and then stop it's going off topic lol.

The speed of light is relative to the observer. The speed of light is always 186,000 MPS. So if it's relative then that means something has to change in the fabric of the universe know as space-time. What changes is time. Time slows down for people going faster then others. The change in time is so small in our daily lives we can not see it. But someone going the speed of light would age one year to our 1000 years. [/ubergeek]

[Dax]

We need to make a ship, that has a crapload of families on it, to ensure greatest chance of survival for at least one family. Now, we send this to the new system and they live their lives for 127 years. Now this ship is going to be one huge son of a [bleep], to allow us to have supplies on it. I say we make some way to farm our own food on this ship, cook and basically make a flying house and farm. Seeing as we're going for 127 years, we're going to need a crapload of fuel, too. This is where the problem appears. I say we make smaller rockets and fly 'em up to meet with the flying house. We could also send extra supplies too, I assume. Now, we're gonna need Oxygen, too, so we're going to need a tree plantation, further enlarging our ship. We're gonna need sunlight, as well, which could also pose a problem. So, I think we may have to extend the ship further and put an Oxygen storage thing in too, so we get this going and we're at the new solar system within 127 years. Easy.

[The Dark Lord]

Are you implying that if we could travel at 99.999999999999999999999999999999% of light speed (actually reaching light speed being impossible as it is) that we'd still be constrained by old age?

 

Honestly, are you getting that info from Hegemony in order to look smart without knowing what you're talking about?

 

------------------

 

Interesting find.

[ember3579]

127 light years away... So even if we discovered a way to travel at light speed, we wouldn't be able to live long enough to make it there.

The faster you go through space, the slower you go through time. For example, if someone was to go the speed of light (186,000 Miles per second or 5,865,696,000,000 miles per year) for one year they would have actually moved 1000 years in our time. This still means though it would take them 127 years to get there, but for us it would be 127,000 years. They would have to be like robot human hybrids or something. And then then more then likely the companies that sent them to being with would be no longer around. [/geek]

 

Right.... I thought it worked the other way, though, that time sped up for us, and slowed down for them. But you're probally right, i don't know much about it :lol:

Ill post this one thought and then stop it's going off topic lol.

The speed of light is relative to the observer. The speed of light is always 186,000 MPS. So if it's relative then that means something has to change in the fabric of the universe know as space-time. What changes is time. Time slows down for people going faster then others. The change in time is so small in our daily lives we can not see it. But someone going the speed of light would age one year to our 1000 years. [/ubergeek]

 

 

I remember hearing about this. However, I got one question. As it applies to space travel, would this mean that the dude in the rocket would only perceive (and age) one year when his rocket has been going for a thousand years, or is it something else? If so, that could actually be kinda useful for this sort of thing. Not exactly a good thing to think about, but still.

 

I've always been interested in off-world science, especially astronomy. I've also always wondered what would happen if we were to start finding signals from a relatively close planet kinda similar to what we were sending out a few decades ago. Assuming that we could decode them, it'd basically be able to give us a play-by-play on their culture, what they operate by day to day, and what the political situation for them would be like. First question is obvious: do we try and contact them, or wait and see what happens? Depending on how well we can do this sort of thing, we might even be able to get picture information, so finding out what they look like is also entirely possible.

[fastortoise]

If you want an easy explanation of light speed travel then read this:

In order to not make my head explode when my terrible physics teacher was explaining relativity, I came to a simple conclusion. Let's say I have a twin and he becomes a (douchey) spaceman. We send him off to colonize a planet 10 light years away. In his ship you can think of him floating around in slow motion, except that he doesn't perceive it as being slow. Since I'm stuck on earth everybody ages the same except for my twin who's all slow and stuff. Let's say it takes 100 years to travel 10 light years, I'll be 120 years old when my twin arrives. Physically he'll only be 30 years old and it will only have felt like he was in the spaceship for 10 years.

 

It's really not that complicated. And I don't see humans colonizing other planets until we figure out how to jump around in the 4th dimension.

[Silvertaler]

We didn't even get to land on another planet yet (aka Mars), and we're already thinking of colonising an exo-planet 127 lightyears away from us? :mellow:

[Alg]

We didn't even get to land on another planet yet (aka Mars), and we're already thinking of colonising an exo-planet 127 lightyears away from us? :mellow:

Thought they were planning to have Mars be the 'practice area' to see if we could actually pull it off. Could assume that one of these planets will be the first one we have our eye on once we're sure we can get it.

 

As for the death thing... could carry it out over multiple generations, though then resources would be a problem.

[Aeon_]

So basically, the only thing holding us back is resources. :blink:

[Flodder450]

127 light years away... So even if we discovered a way to travel at light speed, we wouldn't be able to live long enough to make it there.

The faster you go through space, the slower you go through time. For example, if someone was to go the speed of light (186,000 Miles per second or 5,865,696,000,000 miles per year) for one year they would have actually moved 1000 years in our time. This still means though it would take them 127 years to get there, but for us it would be 127,000 years. They would have to be like robot human hybrids or something. And then then more then likely the companies that sent them to being with would be no longer around. [/geek]

my brain hurts now >_>

 

127 lightyears away

i dont think there is life there maybe , but i dont think

[Pirate_Felix]

127 light years away... So even if we discovered a way to travel at light speed, we wouldn't be able to live long enough to make it there.

The faster you go through space, the slower you go through time. For example, if someone was to go the speed of light (186,000 Miles per second or 5,865,696,000,000 miles per year) for one year they would have actually moved 1000 years in our time. This still means though it would take them 127 years to get there, but for us it would be 127,000 years. They would have to be like robot human hybrids or something. And then then more then likely the companies that sent them to being with would be no longer around. [/geek]

my brain hurts now >_>

 

127 lightyears away

i dont think there is life there maybe , but i dont think

Solution: Worm holes.

[Zygimantas]

127 light years away... So even if we discovered a way to travel at light speed, we wouldn't be able to live long enough to make it there.

The faster you go through space, the slower you go through time. For example, if someone was to go the speed of light (186,000 Miles per second or 5,865,696,000,000 miles per year) for one year they would have actually moved 1000 years in our time. This still means though it would take them 127 years to get there, but for us it would be 127,000 years. They would have to be like robot human hybrids or something. And then then more then likely the companies that sent them to being with would be no longer around. [/geek]

my brain hurts now >_>

 

127 lightyears away

i dont think there is life there maybe , but i dont think

Solution: Worm holes.

Three Problems with worm holes:

1.We have never actually discovered one yet.

2.We would have to find a way to actually use it, if one appeared close enough.

3.We would have to figure out where the wormhole ends up.

[LatinII]

Isn't a worm hole the same as a black hole? :o

[Giordano]

No. Though some people think black holes do the same as a worm hole.

 

Either way, neither are proved.

[ember3579]

No. Though some people think black holes do the same as a worm hole.

 

Either way, neither are proved.

 

 

Actually, if memory serves, they DO have documented proof of black holes. Not sure exactly where, but I remember seeing it get referenced in Discovery magazine I think.

 

I think we need to do one of two things to be able to solve the FTL travel problem. Either work on finding ways to do long distance teleportation (maybe through 5th-dimensional manufactured tesseracts?) or work on ways to augment how the laws of physics apply to the craft (not sure on this one, but I'm not at NASA). Either way, as long as we can get to somewhere like the Asteroid Belt with no problem, we're good for the next couple thousand years on building materials. Work on recycling older stuff and we should be set.

[Alg]

No. Though some people think black holes do the same as a worm hole.

 

Either way, neither are proved.

 

 

Actually, if memory serves, they DO have documented proof of black holes. Not sure exactly where, but I remember seeing it get referenced in Discovery magazine I think.

I read the opposite in a science magazine a while back. In an article about black holes it opened with a disclaimer that we aren't sure if they work exactly as we say they do, but it will assume that they do. Pretty sure the evidence in favor of them is that from what we can see in the center of the galaxy, there are huge stars orbiting something massive at high speeds, and some examples of stuff getting shot out of them (Spectacularly)

 

For the bit about resources, you'd have to worry about having 100+ years worth of food and supplies, energy for that long, etc.

[Giordano]

Proved that they can transport us across the universe.

 

Black holes exist, duh.