Forget life on mars, how about on Gliese 581g??
By Oneironaut
@_sketch_ (5742)
United States
January 8, 2011 11:53pm CST
The Earth has a twin!! A so-called "Goldilocks" planet is a planet whose conditions are "just right" for life. Gliese 581g is a extrasolar planet (or exoplanet), which means that it is just outside of the solar system. It is in the Libra constellation, only 20 light years away.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/63868/title/Distant_world_could_support_life
The gravity is enough to hold an atmosphere and is slightly stronger than on Earth. The surface temperature allows for liquid water and since water is abundant in the galaxy, it is very likely that this planet has it. Scientists aren't completely sure about anything yet, but this discovery is still groundbreaking because it suggests that there are many more potentially habitable planets out there.
Where do you think this discovery will lead us? Do you think there is life outside of Earth in our very galaxy? What about intelligent life?
2 people like this
6 responses
@_sketch_ (5742)
• United States
9 Jan 11
I agree. I have never thought they we were alone. It seems to me that that would be a real waste of space.
@Gameslayer007 (862)
• United States
9 Jan 11
Apparently it will lead us, "only 20 light years away".
I think it's really cool! It would be very simple minded of us to think that we are the only "intelligent" life in the universe. I have always been curious about how far the universe really goes. Infinity is a very deep concept. I was had a friend that believed there was another planet with another you on it reading this at the exact same time, on the basis that with infinity anything and everything can and must be happening simultaneously. I always thought he took things a little far, but who knows what's really out there?
I think it's really cool! It would be very simple minded of us to think that we are the only "intelligent" life in the universe. I have always been curious about how far the universe really goes. Infinity is a very deep concept. I was had a friend that believed there was another planet with another you on it reading this at the exact same time, on the basis that with infinity anything and everything can and must be happening simultaneously. I always thought he took things a little far, but who knows what's really out there?@Gameslayer007 (862)
• United States
9 Jan 11
LOL
That's cool. He was a very interesting character, but like most flames that burn too bright too fast, he's no longer with us. I always wish he would have had enough time to work the kinks out of his theory. At least I was able to help it live on.
@_sketch_ (5742)
• United States
9 Jan 11
Well hey, now that he has passed, perhaps he knows the truth and doesn't need to work out the kinks. So I wonder, did he ever write any of his thoughts down? If so, I hope that somebody held on to it. Even if his theories have kinks, I think that a persons thoughts are very valuable.
1 person likes this
@macdingolinger (10386)
• United States
9 Jan 11
I am not really sure what I think, I guess I would say that it is possible, I just haven't thought much about its likelihood. Although it is possible it probably isn't out there. But to mean it means it is likely that we could seek to set up an existance on another planet! Yeah - another place to destroy like we have the earth!
@_sketch_ (5742)
• United States
9 Jan 11
I was actually thinking the same thing. If the Earth can survive long enough for us to develop the technology to travel deeper in space, I could definitely see us moving to set up civilization on planets like this.
@gengeni (3308)
• Indonesia
9 Jan 11
The planet was too far away to reach with advanced technology that we know today. Wew .. 20 light-years, if there are more possible than the planet? I think the space is too vast to be solved by the human brain, most likely there are other creatures that are far from the earth.
@_sketch_ (5742)
• United States
12 Jan 11
Well hey traveling to another country used to be a big deal, now there are people who do it every day.
@Gameslayer007 (862)
• United States
9 Jan 11
Yes in perspective it doesn't seem as far away as my imagination could take me. Maybe someday traveling these distances will seem trivial.
