Earth like planets may be common

A new study says that planets similar to Earth might be common in solar systems beyond our own. The study says the these planets would exist thanks to large, gas giants, known as "Hot Jupiters," orbiting closely to their respective stars and these gas giants would encourange the formation of earth-like planets.



This study pretty much tells you that the odds are high that life does exist beyond our little rock. We just need to find a way to locate these other planets and not upset the folks that inhabit them.

mod edit: title clarity

[edit on 10-9-2006 by sanctum]

Or, what if those folks on those planets already know we exist, and have decided that we suck, and do not wish contact with us? Wouldnt that be a blow to the collective scientific ego!

Originally posted by Skadi_the_Evil_Elf
Or, what if those folks on those planets already know we exist, and have decided that we suck, and do not wish contact with us? Wouldnt that be a blow to the collective scientific ego!

depends. are we going with we suck or we blow?


I do think that the chance that some alien life forms have seen what we're all about and they have decided that loneliness is far better than the comraderie we have on this orb.

hell, I'd avoid me if I could.

similiar discussion in the Aliens and UFO forum
www.abovetopsecret.com...

This is a retarded claim, it in no way attempts to justify how chemically another planet will form more "earthlike" because a Jupiter-sized planet is nearer to the Sun (something which didn't occur in our case, how odd?)

Originally posted by Stratrf_Rus
This is a retarded claim, it in no way attempts to justify how chemically another planet will form more "earthlike" because a Jupiter-sized planet is nearer to the Sun (something which didn't occur in our case, how odd?)

That's because it's only a news bulletin. If you read the actual paper and understood the physics behind the formation of planetary systems, you would see that the Hot Jupiters that form in close, or migrate in from the outer areas of the accretion disks can create conditons which enhance the formation of smaller planets in the inner disks. They can also destroy newly forming planets in the inner disk as well, via collisions and/or gravitational slingshotting them out of the disks. It entirely depends on the dynamics of the disks and what is occuring at the time of the formation of the Hot Jupiters. Simulation after simulation has shown this to be the case, that Earth like planets can form where Hot Jupiters are present, depending on the conditions and circumstances present in the accretion disks.

It didn't happen here because the accretion disk around the Sun was less massive and dense than the ones which formed the Hot Jupiters around the other stars. These stars are richer in metals than what the Sun is, as a whole, so their accretion disks had more material to begin with. The Sun and the planets cleared the area within the Solar System quickly, thereby not giving Jupiter, or Saturn a chance to migrate inwards to any substantial distance. Not only that, Uranus and Neptune moved further out, thereby dragging a lot of material with them.


[edit on 17-9-2006 by GhostITM]