Two Neptune-Mass Planets Found, Earth-Size Worlds Next

Planet hunters have found two worlds roughly the mass of Neptune, each orbiting a star within 30 light-years of our solar system. The planets are likely gaseous or mixtures of ice and rock, but they might be barren rock worlds like Mercury.

The announcement today by a U.S. team comes just a week after a competing European group revealed a similar discovery of a slightly less massive planet that most likely has a rocky surface and was billed as a "super Earth."

www.space.com...

It seems like NASA is really interested in finding different planets that are outside our solar system. These space telescopes can reach very far and are able to see these unknown planets.

I'm very excited about the prospect of finding Earth-like planets orbiting alien suns. Extra-solar planets in general are so exotic to me. I remember when I was kid discovering Saturn, Neptune, etc inside text books and getting a telescope. It must be the explorer in me.

Planet hunters have found two worlds roughly the mass of Neptune, each orbiting a star within 30 light-years of our solar system. The planets are likely gaseous or mixtures of ice and rock, but they might be barren rock worlds like Mercury.


don't you just love it when they can speculate that the planets are gaseous, mixtures of ice and rock, or even barren rock worlds.

I say they are all like Tahiti.

they don't have a clue what they are, so why always the insistence that life cannot exist?

hmmmm?

Originally posted by moxyone
Planet hunters have found two worlds roughly the mass of Neptune, each orbiting a star within 30 light-years of our solar system. The planets are likely gaseous or mixtures of ice and rock, but they might be barren rock worlds like Mercury.


don't you just love it when they can speculate that the planets are gaseous, mixtures of ice and rock, or even barren rock worlds.

I say they are all like Tahiti.

they don't have a clue what they are, so why always the insistence that life cannot exist?

hmmmm?

Actually, when they detect these larger planets they almost always do it through detecting a wobble in the star as the planet orbits around it. Then, they do a little voodoo analysis of the spectrum (which tells them what elements are present). It's those elements that dictate what sort of goodies are orbiting the star.

Wow, hows that for a 20 second ultra-laymans description!

I am so excited by the thought that in my lifetime we're going to have a picture of an Earth-like planet.

I'm very excited about the prospect of finding Earth-like planets orbiting alien suns. Extra-solar planets in general are so exotic to me. I remember when I was kid discovering Saturn, Neptune, etc inside text books and getting a telescope. It must be the explorer in me.

That's the reason we should develop antigravity, new revolutionary propulsion systems and true space travel.

In the old days we used to sleep on rocks. ROCKS!

I reckon they should say these planets they are finding are covered in tim tams, or that they are detecting that there are signals coming from that planet...there are radio waves, or something... and they are getting a reading of life from these planets.. I'm sure that would help the defence inductry, the space exploration industry, scientific research, innovative thinking, etc.

[edit on 14-9-2004 by DaRAGE]