Two Earth-Sized Bodies With Oxygen-Rich Atmospheres 111
tugfoigel writes "Astrophysicists at the University of Warwick and Kiel University have discovered two bodies the size of earth with oxygen-rich atmospheres — however, there is a disappointing snag for anyone looking for a potential home for alien life, or even a future home for ourselves. These are not planets, but are actually two unusual white dwarf stars." The objects, 220 and 400 light-years distant, are believed to be remnants of stars between 7 and 10 solar masses. Such stars, the largest that evolve to white dwarves, have been sought for years. If the stars were a little more massive they would collapse to neutron stars, or so the theory goes. Here is the paper on the arXiv.
That's okay. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:That's okay. (Score:5, Funny)
And Captain Kirk would still find a way to pork it without spontaneously combusting.
nomenclature (Score:1, Funny)
In the image SDSS 1102+2054 looks blue. Shouldn't we call them blue dwarfs? Or should we call them smurfs?
Re:That's okay. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:nomenclature (Score:5, Funny)
That was the initial idea, but unfortunately there were already numerous related trademarks held by the porn industry.
Re:so can we gate to them? (Score:0, Funny)
Re:Deceptive headlines (Score:5, Funny)
In related news SETI Has Detected Intelligent Radio Signals From Space.
They are currently working on better methods to filter out the earth TV broadcasts being reflected back from the moon.
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Re:Deceptive headlines (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Deceptive headlines (Score:5, Funny)
Re:That's okay. (Score:2, Funny)
Well, they're talking about two Earth-sized bodies, so I guess the other one is ur dad. Take that!
Re:Deceptive headlines (Score:4, Funny)
It was a Fox News with a ShamWow commercial.
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Re:When We Finally Find Them (Score:3, Funny)
Yes, this is causing a huge strain on news stories and an overall problem to humankind.
Please let us find new planets so the stories about false positives can stop.
Re:white dwarfs not white dwarves (Score:3, Funny)
No, astromatt's understanding of the rules of grammar is correct. Because "White Dwarf" refers to an entity unrelated to a "dwarf", it's pluralised as a proper noun (which generally ignores suffix manipulation). If you knew two people named "Dwarf", you wouldn't say "the two dwarves" (which would only be valid if Dwarf and Dwarf were very short and you were intentionally pointing it out), you'd say "the two Dwarfs".
I'm not a master of the finer nitpicks of the English language, but "white dwarf" is not a name - it's a class like being a star, pulsar, planet, asteroid, meteorite, comet or whatever. Try reading something like a Star Trek science report to yourself "Three pulars, two supernovas, two neutron stars and five white dwarves." No way are those "White Dwarf", "White Dwarf", "White Dwarf", "White Dwarf" and "White Dwarf" as in the "five White Dwarfs".
Re:Deceptive headlines (Score:3, Funny)
Naw, dense would imply large amounts of muscle mass and little fat, so they can't be American :P