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Tatooine-like Planet Discovered

ATP writes "CNN is reporting that a planet has been discovered in a solar system with 3 suns. The observation brings into doubt the theory stating that planets form from the dust orbiting around a single sun. The discovery also resulted in a new method of searching for extrasolar planets-- until now most searching focused only on single-sun systems."

4 of 403 comments (clear)

  1. Sure it's not Arakis, aka Dune? by teal_ · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    If we could get a hold of some of that "spice", we could fold space and go anywhere without moving! Dang worms though, keep swallowing the spice harvestors! Baron Harkonen might yet beat us to it!

  2. Sorry by Sinner · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Yeah, it was in my pants all this time. I was going to mention it, but I didn't think it was such a big deal. My bad.

    --
    fish and pipes
  3. Newsflash: Evidence of life has been found there by jdfox · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    CNN is reporting that a planet has been discovered in a solar system with 3 suns.

    Then evidently some sort of primitive lifeform must exist on that planet. How joyfully they shall welcome us, when we arrive bearing the gift of Linux.

    The observation brings into doubt the theory stating that planets form from the dust orbiting around a single sun.

    Well, duh. If there were really that much dust, the air in the server room would have to be so filthy you wouldn't be able to see the screen as you type.

  4. Re:The effects of 3 suns... Imagine the effect of by HungWeiWeiHai · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    three PENISES, or 3 vaginas, or 3x3 breasts (would they be udders, or an "udder shame"... is this to be an udderly shameful commentary?)

    Now, imagine the rules saying one man and one woman. They'd have to be rewritten to accommodate ten nuclear/molecule-like "attachability" of reproductive organs. Hell, they'd NEED a planet that happens to be "slightly larger than Jupiter" just to have expansion room for the offspring.

    Of course, if the first few paragraphs described above are occurring now, then wouldn't that "udderly" turn on its head all the various Earthling-originated, mass-organized religions? Maybe, but it could mean the saying "God works in mysterious ways" means it's time for humans to stop invoking the name, foisting the beliefs (which WON'T be provable to the living unless "God" allows the living and dead to freely transposition themselves. Since that has a snowball's chance in hell, so much for that.

    Relations and relationships would be hopelessly confounded as reproduction could conceivably (pun not lost...) be geometrically complex. Rather than the female reproductive organs as we know them (or, organ as we know it), a simply all-in-one tele-tracting (telescoping/contracting) HUSK could be quite sufficient, leading to sanguine.

    Maybe ants would have three bodies side-by-side, but skyscrapers as we know them would be monstrously large, perilously inefficient, and hopelessly subject to derision by oil industry lobbyists seeking funding to break the addiction to tri-sun energy delivery.

    Perhaps, on planets having 3 suns, the beings we'd liken to humans might be vegetarians, telepathic, telekinetic, and able to leap 25-foot trenches.

    Ground transportation would be a veritable bitch.

    3rd degree burns as we know them would be 30-degree burns, and maybe racism as experienced on this dismal blast-deserving Earth humans might never be an issue on Tri-Star Planet.

    Water would be held together by extremely strong gravity, but then the multi-ped near-humans might grow only as tall as 3.5 feet to 4 feet, or might grow tall and scoliotic as do vines. Physical relations could be as if the "Day of the Triffids" met "Bamby in Heat" sniffing for acorns and daisies-- one for entry and two for slapping extensors/penetrors... A tri-penetron-bond just to reproduce.

    On Earth, people could be hung out to DRY. On Tri-Star Planet, people would be hung out to FRY. Maybe Fry's Electronics would be TRI's Electronics... or worse: Fly's Erectronics...

    Naval warfare might be difficult. Radio Direction Finding might be trebly painful. Aeronautical navigation would be nearly impossible, and campfires sing-alongs might never exist-- unless campfire covers were patented to protect the concept of "singing in the dark"...

    Now, imagine what could be written if humans discover a planet zig-zagging/orbiting among 4 suns.

    Imagine what could be written if humans discover a planet zig-zigging or zag-zagging about 4.2 suns.

    Imagine if if Slashdot were in existence on such planets. Imagine the commentaries posted on THOSE pages...