Earth-like extra-solar planets discovered?

[Neroon]

Link to article.

As long as I've been waiting for this development, I honestly wondered how long it would take. Granted, the identification isn't iron-clad, but it's still a significant discovery. Gliese 581 has for a little while at least, been a good candidate for finding just such a type of planet.

 

[Zachary Smith]

"Gliese 581 is the place to be!!
Extraterrestrial livin' is the life for me . . .
Land spreadin' out so far and wide!
Keep the Earth, just give me that countryside!!"

 

[bryce]

Yeah, but wait until you meet the locals...

Spoiler

 

[Jeyl]

Yeah, but wait until you meet the locals...

I'm more interested in meeting the locals who created those little creatures. I hear they actually meld with their furniture.

 

[Garrovick]

There is a Star, and there are planets, A,B,C,D and E but there isn't a consensus about which of the planets are habitable.

Two be in the habitable zone, but not an Earth like "structure". Very confusing due to too many experts. Like one has "water", but it might be just an ice planet too close to the Sun. Another might just be a giant ball of Iron.

 

[Ronald Held]

Does someone think Arnold the pig is there?

 

[bryce]

Yeah, but wait until you meet the locals...

I'm more interested in meeting the locals who created those little creatures. I hear they actually meld with their furniture.

Eh, big deal - so do some humans...

http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-84042.html

 

[MANT!]

well..soon we will have a destination to go to..though not a method to get there..

 

[Lindley]

So we've found a large Mercury and a temperate Jupiter, is that what I'm reading?

Great for science, but the phrase "Earth-like" is thrown around a bit too freely IMO.

 

[chrisspringob]

So we've found a large Mercury and a temperate Jupiter, is that what I'm reading?

Great for science, but the phrase "Earth-like" is thrown around a bit too freely IMO.

Wait, if I'm understanding this right, it's not exactly a "temperate Jupiter". It's only about half as massive as Uranus and Neptune (but about 7 times as massive as Earth). So it's not exactly either a terrestrial planet or a gas giant. If I'm reading the article right, they're suggesting that it could potentially even have a liquid water surface.

 

[MANT!]

So we've found a large Mercury and a temperate Jupiter, is that what I'm reading?

Great for science, but the phrase "Earth-like" is thrown around a bit too freely IMO.

Wait, if I'm understanding this right, it's not exactly a "temperate Jupiter". It's only about half as massive as Uranus and Neptune (but about 7 times as massive as Earth). So it's not exactly either a terrestrial planet or a gas giant. If I'm reading the article right, they're suggesting that it could potentially even have a liquid water surface.

So in the future we have "Waterworld"?..knowing Humanity, we'll turn that puppy into a giant waterpark

 

[LaxScrutiny]

So we've found a large Mercury and a temperate Jupiter, is that what I'm reading?

Great for science, but the phrase "Earth-like" is thrown around a bit too freely IMO.

Wait, if I'm understanding this right, it's not exactly a "temperate Jupiter". It's only about half as massive as Uranus and Neptune (but about 7 times as massive as Earth). So it's not exactly either a terrestrial planet or a gas giant. If I'm reading the article right, they're suggesting that it could potentially even have a liquid water surface.

Sounds like a great place to go for a workout.

 

[chrisspringob]

So we've found a large Mercury and a temperate Jupiter, is that what I'm reading?

Great for science, but the phrase "Earth-like" is thrown around a bit too freely IMO.

Wait, if I'm understanding this right, it's not exactly a "temperate Jupiter". It's only about half as massive as Uranus and Neptune (but about 7 times as massive as Earth). So it's not exactly either a terrestrial planet or a gas giant. If I'm reading the article right, they're suggesting that it could potentially even have a liquid water surface.

Sounds like a great place to go for a workout.

Yeah, I assume the surface gravity would be significantly stronger than Earth, so swimming around on this planet would tire someone out pretty quickly.