NASA's Webb Telescope Discovers Its First Exoplanet (npr.org) 22
NASA's Webb telescope has discovered an exoplanet, which is any planet that is outside of our solar system, for the first time, the agency announced Wednesday. From a report: The planet, called LHS 475 b, is nearly the same size as Earth, having 99% of our planet's diameter, scientists said. However, it is several hundred degrees hotter than Earth and completes its orbit around its star in two days. LHS 475 b is in the constellation Octans and is 41 light-years away, which is relatively nearby. Scientists are still trying to determine if the planet has an atmosphere. It's possible LHS 475 b has no atmosphere or one made completely out of carbon dioxide, but one option can be totally eliminated.
Radiation level? (Score:2)
The original article from NASA [nasa.gov] indicates this planet is going round a red dwarf which has less than half the temperature of our own Sun. However, how much radiation is this this star pumping out? If the planet takes two days to orbit, that's awfully close.
The point being, this planet may have an atmosphere and it might be much warmer than us, but if the radiation levels are high enough we can (probably) rule out any form of life.
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If we have the power to get there with enough resources to civilize it, we would probably have the power to pull it further out (essentially, give it more velocity to move it to a higher orbit).
Ehhh, a colonization mission is only a few decades/centuries away with current tech. You just need enough genetic samples to form a simple eco system, the ability to mature those samples, some really fancy 3d printing type tech so you have a full industrial production line, frozen / cloned humans, and a LOT of patience.
In short it's conceivable, though hideously tough and expensive.
On the other hand, moving a friggen planet literally takes an astronomical amount of energy.
In SF terms colonization is somethi
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I think most people think the latter is the tricky bit.
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You mention the problems of colonization, but not the problem of GETTING THERE.
I think most people think the latter is the tricky bit.
Actually that's the easy part.
With current tech we have the ability to send a craft to another solar system, possibly even with enough radiation plating to protect preserved samples inside.
Making sure all the complicated colonization tech keeps working for the hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years necessary to reach another solar system is extraordinarily tough, but more an engineering problem than a fundamental science problem.
Accepting that FTL is impossible it's the easy bit, on the oth
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No. We do not.
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" With current tech we have the ability to send a craft to another solar system,"
No. We do not.
Yes we do [quora.com].
Now, as I already said getting a working spacecraft there requires some new tech, and the tech to build a ship capable of getting there and performing colonization is probably centuries away, but the problems are not conceptually insurmountable.
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There are currently 5 craft that have left our solar system and are heading out into interstellar space, so we certainly do have the technology to send stuff to another solar system. What we don't have is the technology to build anything capable of getting there in less than tens of thousands of years, or be in any fit state to do anything useful once it gets there.
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That's what OP said in the first place.
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If it is completing an orbit every two (presumably Earth) days then it is probably near skimming the surface of its star. Even a cool star would heat that planet up.
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Not a bad FP (ignoring the neighboring brain farts), but I think you may be underestimating the adaptability of life forms. Or maybe limiting your definition of life to the only examples we've seen so far? Perhaps I've read too much of the macabre optimism of Iain M Banks, but it's certainly possible to imagine many odd life forms. I think the key question for the appearance of life may be surplus energy available over a long enough period, and that period may not be so long, at least as geological times go
41 Light Years? (Score:4, Informative)
People talking about colonization are fooling themselves. 41 light years is an absolutely mind-boggling distance to move something- anything with any amount of mass let alone something large enough for a human to interact with. A chemical rocket would require tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years to traverse that distance. Even bleeding edge stuff that's only theoretical like massive nuclear powered ion drives or solar sails wouldn't get there in a dozen human lifetimes. We aren't even approaching being able to get enough mass into orbit to build a "generation ship", and have no realistic prospect for doing so anytime soon.
If we ever launch a mission to something that far away, it will be a very long time after we are all dead and gone.
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People talking about colonization are fooling themselves. ... We aren't even approaching being able to get enough mass into orbit to build a "generation ship", and have no realistic prospect for doing so anytime soon.
To back up your points, Kim Stanley Robinson's Aurora [wikipedia.org] explores this very nicely.
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Nobody who read the summary is talking about colonizing this particular planet, which is way above the boiling point of water.
Every sane person is aware that a manned interstellar mission isn't happening in our lifetimes, and is hundreds to thousands of years off. That doesn't mean we can't or shouldn't talk about it. I've been making an audio drama [quietplease.org] about a generational asteroid on an interstellar mission, it's interesting to explore the various issues it brings up.
There are 1300 star systems within 50 ligh
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Generation ships won't be built by mass lifted from Earth. And while I know we're likely decades away from mining asteroids or any other celestial body with less gravity than our own planet, I'm almost certain that's going to be a prerequisite for any life-carrying mission beyond the solar system. Granted, decades may be optimistic if we can't get some form of profit-driven race to make it happen going between the big money toy-boys that are currently trying to take to the heavens as a hobby.
At any rate, I
Impressed (Score:2)
Impressive that they can measure its diameter to such accuracy.
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I suspect the writer/editor is simply clueless or rushed it. Typically one is to round if the measurement lacks precision.
Mmm.... I don't know about all that... (Score:4, Informative)
"Discovered" is a bit much. "Confirmed" would be a better word.
The Transitioning Exoplanet Survey Satellite identified LHS 475 b as a potential exoplanet. JWT confirmed it.
https://www.extremetech.com/ex... [extremetech.com]