OT: Science: New Planets Found

[Atrocities]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5876835/?GT1=5100


[/quote]Planet hunters have found two worlds roughly the mass of Neptune, each orbiting a star within 30 light-years of our solar system. The planets are likely gaseous or mixtures of ice and rock, but they might be barren rock worlds like Mercury.

[/quote]

Interesting /threads/images/Graemlins/Flag_USA.gif

[Captain Kwok]

It should start getting a lot more interesting once they can detect even smaller planets...

[Cheeze]

The planets are likely gaseous or mixtures of ice and rock



Okay, are these gas, ice or rock planets??? Come on now! I need to know what kind of colonizers to send! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Randallw]

This is of course impossible, we all know you can't see planets in another system. You have to travel there through a wormhole before you know what planets are there. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Cheeze said:

The planets are likely gaseous or mixtures of ice and rock



Okay, are these gas, ice or rock planets??? Come on now! I need to know what kind of colonizers to send! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif


Dibs!

Nah nah nah boo boo! I said Dibs and you didn't! I get them!

[DeadZone]

Sorry narf, but I already have them both colonized
In fact, if you want I will trade maps of nearby systems with you
(Just to note, 3 systems away is my homeworld, not visible from Earth yet though http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif )

[narf poit chez BOOM]

/me kicks his defunct anti-matter drive while muttering to himself. *Stupid Dreadnought*

[geoschmo]

I read somewhere that probably within the next few decades astronomers believe we will have telescopes advanced enough to detect earth sized planets around distant stars, and be able to tell with reasonable certainty the composition of their atmosphere. And from the ratios of certain gasses you can make guesses about whether life there is likly or not. Exciting stuff.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

We coulda been to Alpha Centuri already with solar sails.

[TerranC]

narf poit chez BOOM said:
We coulda been to Alpha Centuri already with solar sails.



If it worked, and if alpha centauri had any planets.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Solar sails would only have technical issues, as we already know how to make the sail. As for planets, that's what the probe would be programed to look for.

[Atrocities]

If only they could prove M theory. (String theory.)

[TurinTurambar]

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/super_earth_040825.html
Rock/Huge/None/Harsh

This one trips me out. And two schmucks with a 4" telescope found it first!

Turin