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Terrestrial (Rocky) Planet Discovered

Posted by timothy on from the balboa-x dept.

KilgoryTrout writes "A 'super-Earth' planet was identified in orbit around mu Arae, a star 50 light years away. It orbits at 2 AUs and surface gravity is 14gs. Two gas giants have been detected in orbit about the star. Space.com's article suggests that it is a failed gas giant's rocky core."

6 of 70 comments (clear)

  1. Umm by MindStalker · · Score: 2, Funny

    No planet so small has ever been detected around a normal star.

    Ummm Mercury, Venus..??
    Shrugs.

    1. Re:Umm by linzeal · · Score: 2, Funny

      The sun is not a star it is our god, all praise RA! Bring death upon those who would question him.

      --
      An Education is the Font of All Liberty
  2. Another... by cs02rm0 · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...person with their 4" piece out?

  3. Then let's go! by krinsh · · Score: 4, Funny

    It may take a couple hundred years to get there; but there's bound to be a group of people eager to go on a long-term mission to this place - bring some kids along and make sure things are mixed up enough so the babies aren't West Virginians after a generation or three - and report back when they get there.

    I know it's a lot more complicated than that, but we should. (and I'm from WVa so I'm not really being mean)

    --
    I think with the interesting people, their lives can't possibly be wrapped up into a nice little package.
    1. Re:Then let's go! by escher · · Score: 3, Funny

      Seeing as how the average adult human would weigh over 1000 pounds on that planet, I'm guessing it's not a real good idea to send colonists there.

  4. It has to be suggested... by RobertB-DC · · Score: 5, Funny

    While researchers do not know the full range of conditions under which life can survive, the newly discovered world, with its hot surface, is not the sort of place biologists would expect to find life as we know it.

    No, of course not. Life there would posess super-human strength as an adaptation to the enormous gravity. Were inhabitants of this planet to visit Earth, they would be faster than a speeding bullet, and stronger than a locomotive. I wager they'd be able to jump tall buildings with a single bound.

    I wonder if anyone's thought of a name for this planet?

    (How can there be two dozen comments, but nobody made this connection yet?)

    --
    Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.