Exosolar planet spotting

Short read.. Using the technique "gravitational micro-lensing" scientists hope to be able to spot more Earth sized planets. They recently detected one only 5.5 times as massive as Earth in the Scorpio constellation.

www.cnn.com...

As important as the search for extrasolar planets is, the discovery of Earthlike worlds so far can only prove one thing: that there are earthlike worlds.

But the point of finding such planets is to find life on them, so shouldn't we focus our search for life on planets into our own back yard? I beleive that the money should rather be spent on improved propulsion systems and probes that can dig into a planet. That way we might have a better chance of finding life on Europa, Mars or any other planet or moon in our own solar system. Then we can take the knowledge and apply it to the rest of the galaxy.

[edit on 9.3.06 by ProveIt]

You're missing the point. We could possibly detect the thermal emissions from a technological city(as slim as that may be) with technology coming up within the next 15-20 years. I've even read that some Planet Hunters are even convinced that they will be able to image continents on an earth sized planet directly in 50 years!

I haven't heard that, but that's a pretty fascinating claim. However the imaging capacity to detect seperate continets (lets say 6000 miles accross) would have to be flat-out ubeleivable. The ability to resolve 1000 miles from 59 000 000 000 000 miles away (10 light years) is intense. It would require the combined output of about 200 Hubbles focused on the same target for a week. Then don't forget that planets rotate, so the image must be taken over a period of no more than an hour.

We have a long way to go...

Originally posted by ProveIt
As important as the search for extrasolar planets is, the discovery of Earthlike worlds so far can only prove one thing: that there are earthlike worlds.

Hi there,

If we were to detect an earth like planet it would mean a whole lot more.

Firstly keeping it short and sweet.... We look for an earth like planet for one reason and one reason only... To colonize. it's that simple really.

We may or may not have the technology to get there but knowing it’s there is the beginning of a plan.

The other thing to take into account is that if earth like planets are in abundance then there is a good chance that some of them harbour intelligent life.

So because we are looking for life sustaining planets wouldn't it also be prudent to say that so are the other intelligent life forms out there??

I believe that in the future we will leave this sphere we call home and colonize the stars... but I also think that although this is a fantastical and wonderful future it also has a dark side.

Potentially interstellar war, with beings we would never hope to understand.

We have a long journey ahead of us but we can and I believe we will survive. But to survive I believe we WILL have to change....

NeoN HaZe.

I think you've hit on a very poignant point. Though most people think contrary, we are still a primitive civilization. Mankind needs to grow up. Heaven help us if we develop the technology to colonize planets and don't possess the maturity to work together as one world. Maybe that is why if aliens do exist they aren't letting us know.

Planet Hunters are even convinced that they will be able to image continents on an earth sized planet directly in 50 years!

grrrr... ill be an old man by then!

kinda cool though.. in addition to Google Earth they would have Google "planet x"

THe simple fact that our species spends more money on fashion, entertainment, drugs, war, and other stupid wastes than on the discovering of colonizable planets. Seriously, don't people realize that there will be a point in time when the Earth, the Sun, in fact the whole solar system is gone? Why do we care so much about what happened a few thousand years ago when we really should be caring about what will happen 1 billion years from now?

It is just so frustrating. the MLB is a 2 billion dollar a year industry in payrolls alone...