New super earth "just" 22 light years away

[visser300]

http://www.americaspace.org/?p=13341

Using public data from the European Space Observatory and measurements from the Keck Observatory’s High Resolution Echelle Spectrograph and the new Carnegie Planet Finder Spectrograph at the Magellan II Telescope, an international team of researchers has discovered a new potentially habitable super Earth located in the ‘goldilocks zone’ relative to it’s star.

The new super planet, named GJ 667Cc, has a mass 4.5 times that of earth’s and is located 22 light years away in a triple-star system within the constellation Scorpius. Two of it’s stars are far enough away from the planet to have no impact on it’s climate but are still visible in it’s sky. GJ 667Cc takes 28 days to orbit the third sun, and lies within what astronomers consider to be an ideal distance to have the potential to support life.

“This planet is the new best candidate to support liquid water and, perhaps, life as we know it,” said study author, Anglada-Escudé.

Scientists at the Carnegie Institute for Science hope this discovery indicates that similar planets are common throughout the galaxy, based on the fact that GJ 667Cc was found so quickly and easily. Further studies and future discoveries over the coming years should shed more light on whether or not that proves to be the case

[Timefool]

The planet is only .125 AU from the star so I don't know how this can be considered a goldilocks star. The star it orbits is 37% the mass of the sun so sqrt(.37) means the planet has to be .6 AU away to be near the goldilocks zone.

[Poach]

While your observations are sensible thedudederek, I very much doubt a team of professional scientists would publish a final draft study with such a basic error in calculation. I'm inclined to take them at their word.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

Freeze me and send me there..

[Jean=A=Luc]

Freeze me and send me there..

Why am I still unfrozen?

[AqD]

Isn't it the 2nd earth-like planet reported this year? It must have something to do with 2012!

[chamaeleo]

What's its size? It'd better be less dense than Earth, otherwise high gravity might be an issue. I suppose we could always evolve into dwarves...

[Oberbefehlshaber]

You would be like 4x heavier on this planet, so habitation is near impossible.

[MathiasOfAthens]

You would be like 4x heavier on this planet, so habitation is near impossible.

So its a non story?

For s sake our universe sucks.

[Lord of Lost Socks]

You would be like 4x heavier on this planet, so habitation is near impossible.

Wouldn't that depend on what the core of the planet is made of, or am I horribly confused?

[Armatus]

You would be like 4x heavier on this planet, so habitation is near impossible.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[CDMan477]

It is for earth humans perhaps. If life has developed on that planet or any other for that matter, it will obviously have adapted to that planets conditions.

The goal right now is to simply find life or past life on another planet. We don't need to move quite yet.

[Aetius]

The great irony is when we are finally able to travel into space (lightyears distance) we won't need to travel into space.

[removeduser_4536284751384]

The great irony is when we are finally able to travel into space (lightyears distance) we won't need to travel into space.

Humans rarely do things because they need to.

I think our first step will be terraforming Venus, Mars and several moons of Jupiter and Saturn. By the time that's complete I reckon technology will have advanced enough to leave our solar system.

[MathiasOfAthens]

What would really suck is if there are planets out there that are too dense for us but we can see how lush and tropical they are from space and wish we were down there basking in the warm sun by their beaches...

[Ulyaoth]

They never have problems going from one planet to another in all the shows and movies and games, obviously it's no issue. I mean look at Tattoine, it's the size of Jupiter but everyone lives there happily and can go to other planets with no issues.

And with a 28 day year, would it really have time to go through any seasons, or would it being so close to the star and orbitting so quickly moderate the temperatures?

[Roboute Guilliman]

They never have problems going from one planet to another in all the shows and movies and games, obviously it's no issue. I mean look at Tattoine, it's the size of Jupiter but everyone lives there happily and can go to other planets with no issues.

And with a 28 day year, would it really have time to go through any seasons, or would it being so close to the star and orbitting so quickly moderate the temperatures?

Everybody living happily on tattoine?! Sand people are constantly raiding innocent farmers and lets not mention the biggest city is run by a mobster. There is no happy life in tattoine, its tough , the fett would agree.

[Ishoss]

Everybody living happily on tattoine?! Sand people are constantly raiding innocent farmers and lets not mention the biggest city is run by a mobster. There is no happy life in tattoine, its tough , the fett would agree.

The entire planet is run by mobsters, but so what? It attracts a certain kind of people who enjoy the oppurtunites. And of course slaves. But they are slaves, so who cares?

[MathiasOfAthens]

Yeah I wouldnt rely on Star Wars for any tangible scientific information, lol. I mean I didnt even see any trees on Tattoine? So wheres the oxygen come from? And if the trees are somewhere else in maybe a more lush mediterranean climate why are people living in a ing desert?

I thought Stargate Universe was a good example of space travel and what not.

[Col. Tartleton]

Star Wars is basically a crap dressed up as a fancy crap.

It's funny as I typed that they mentioned some controversy about George Lucas on the news lol.

Also, ethically we aren't supposed to colonize worlds with life on them. Only dead worlds we are able to terra form. Living worlds should be allowed to develop naturally until they develop electronics. At that point we intercede to introduce ourselves via radio before they develop nukes and kill themselves.

Or at least that's my policy for human expansion into space.