Potentially Habitable Planet Outside our Solar System Discovered
Coming just after TSU students discovered water on the planet HD209458b (the first discovered after Pluto), astronomers (an international team from Switzerland, France and Portugal) have discovered the first habitable Earth like planet ever discovered. What’s more, they say it is just 1.5 times larger than Earth, has liquid water on its surface and that average temperatures would be between 0-40C°.
The planet was discovered in the system around Gliese 581, a red dwarf some 20.5 lightyears from Earth.
For me, this is extremely exciting. First, the fact that more and more Earth like planets are being discovered helps further the idea that life should be abundant throughout the universe. Second, as this planet is likely very much like Earth, it is possible (if not likely) that there is life on this planet, right in our own backyard. Of course, it is just speculation at this point, but the discovery of life (intelligent or not) would be a history changing event for our planet.
Though it might be a while before we’re able to find out, at 20.5 lightyears away, a round trip at 50% of the speed of light (the fastest even the most speculative technologies could get us) would take at least 84 years.