Scientists Find Fifty New Planets And One Of Them Could Have Alien Life

[genie]

Scientists find fifty new planets and one of them could have alien life

Last updated at 8:20 AM on 13th September 2011

European astronomers have discovered 50 new planets beyond our solar system, including 16 which are a similar size to Earth.

This is the largest number of such planets ever announced at one time.

The biggest planet of the new batch is HD 85512 b, which is 3.6 times the mass of Earth and can be found 36 light-years away in the Vela constellation.

Habitable: An artist's impression of the super-Earth HD 85512 b

The findings suggest that more than half of the stars like our sun possess planets, and that many of those worlds are lighter than Saturn.

HD 85512 b is the only one of new planets, dubbed 'super-Earths' that is located in its star system's habitable zone.

That's the area around a star where scientists believe water could exist, in liquid form, making a planet potentially habitable.

The new findings are being presented at a conference on Extreme Solar Systems in Wyoming, U.S., where 350 exoplanet experts are meeting.

This discovery was made by The High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), which is installed at the European Southern Observatory's 11.8ft La Silla Observatory in Chile.

'The detection of HD 85512 b is far from the limit of HARPS, and demonstrates the possibility of discovering other super-Earths in the habitable zones around stars similar to the sun,' said University of Geneva astronomer Michel Mayor.

The European Southern Observatory, La Silla Paranal, Chile, South America

Super-Earths, which range from Earth's mass to worlds 10 times more massive, are of particular interest to planet-hunters because it's thought that they could be even more conducive to the development of life than our own planet.

One of the team members, Lisa Kaltenegger, of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and the Harvard Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, said the latest round of findings marked a new age in the search for habitable planets.

'We are actually entering an incredibly interesting time in our history,' she said.

When the search for extrasolar planets began more than 15 years ago, the telescopes used for the task could only detect giant planets like our own solar system's Jupiter. Since then, the techniques and tools used for the search have become much more sensitive.

HARPS can detect the slight gravitational wobble caused by planets as small as Earth, if they have incredibly close-in orbits.

HARPS' observations of 376 sunlike stars has led the team to conclude not only that more than half of such stars are surrounded by planets, but also that about 40 per cent of them have at least one planet less massive than Saturn.

[Singh559]

Waheguru

pwqwlw pwqwl lK Awgwsw Awgws ]

paathaalaa paathaal lakh aagaasaa aagaas ||

There are nether worlds beneath nether worlds, and hundreds of thousands of heavenly worlds above.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Jap

5

Dhan Guru Nanak, Dhan Guru Nanak

[HSD1]

Wonder how long it's going to take before we humans try to colonise them. Poor aliens wont know what hit them.

[genie]

Wonder how long it's going to take before we humans try to colonise them. Poor aliens wont know what hit them.

Think it might be the other way around lol. Some speculators say that we have been visited by intelligent life from outer space since humanity began. Some theorists say that humans are hybrid species created by these alien 'gods' as an experiment or as slaves to do their bidding. There are some interesting pieces of evidence around the world that ancient civilisations had knowledge far superior to what they should have had at the era they were living in, does make you think.

[Dev1975]

It's my main wish that we make contact with intelligent alien life within my lifetime. I hope this discovery leads to a whole lot more!! :smile2:

[KhalistaniGunMan]

It's my main wish that we make contact with intelligent alien life within my lifetime. I hope this discovery leads to a whole lot more!! :smile2:

In reality we dont know what is out their...there is definately life out their...but only waheguru knows if they will be agressive or friendly...i also heard that the khalsa exists already on other planets..some planets already have khalsa raaj..interesting thought

[HSD1]

i also heard that the khalsa exists already on other planets..some planets already have khalsa raaj..interesting thought

I have heard that too. I just wish they would hurry up and come here to Earth to give us a hand lol.

[Singh559]

I have heard that too. I just wish they would hurry up and come here to Earth to give us a hand lol.

What a thought.. Have heard this as well.

[KhalistaniGunMan]

What a thought.. Have heard this as well.

but ive also heard the opposite aswell..where there are planets were the righteous dharmic life forms didnt raaj..and adharma reigns supreme in their worlds...i think it makes sense to say that their are planets ruled by the khalsa(righteous truthful society) and others ruled by adharmi forces ( immoral, atheisitc, promoters of the 5 vices).....

[Singh559]

but ive also heard the opposite aswell..where there are planets were the righteous dharmic life forms didnt raaj..and adharma reigns supreme in their worlds...i think it makes sense to say that their are planets ruled by the khalsa(righteous truthful society) and others ruled by adharmi forces ( immoral, atheisitc, promoters of the 5 vices).....

Yeah that's true. I think our planet is as adharmic as it can get right now.