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Three Neptune-sized Planets Found Nearby
WillAffleckUW writes "CNN reports the discovery of three Neptune-sized planets found in orbit around a sun 41 light years away. The star they orbit is similar to our Sun, and the planetary distribution is probably similar to our Solar System. Recent observations by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope last year revealed that HD 69830 also hosts an asteroid belt, making it the only other sun-like star known to have one. No word on if they have habitable moons, or monoliths yet."
For those of you not immediately familiar with exactly what a Neptune-sized object is, it is about 12.645679 sextillion Volkswagens (go ahead, look it up. I have time). Now, as to why they would categorize an object that is 41 light-years away as 'nearby' is another question.
(Go ahead, tell me the tale of how immensely huge the universe is and how 41 light-years away can only be described as nearby. Then tell me you won't mind helping me move if it's 'nearby')
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"Nothing for you to see here. Please move along" acquires an odd meaning in a story about the discovery of new planets.
ba-dum-cha. Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week.
There could be sentient being living there. Odds are 50/50 they have more advanced technology than we do. If they can travel at near light speed, they could arrive here 82+ years after we started beaming massive amounts of radio and tv into space, which would be soon. Maybe we should prepare a "reception" for them or something.
It's only a matter of time until somebody picks up our signals and comes to crash the party.
It is if you consider it is theoretically possible to get there within one's lifetime. Heck, if we sent a probe with our current tech which has a top speed of about 1/3c (assuming I remember correctly), it could get there in about 124 years. (It takes ~6 months to get up to top speed with an ion drive if I remember correctly. Yes, I know that's not quite right because it does travel at some speed while accelerating, there are galactic orbit considerations, depends on the mass of the probe/output of the engine, etc.) So, we could see results from the probe in 165 years from launch. With todays technology.
If the curiosity factor isn't enough to justify such a trip, well, then you should consider that your great grand kids may be in circumstances where they can not survive on this planet for much longer, for some reason or another, and may need to find possible alternatives. Consider it not putting all of one's eggs in one basket.
Any sufficiently advanced influence is indistinguishable from control.
welcome our new-neptunian overlords
Can't we all just get along
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Didn't Marco Polo walk through a swimming pool?
j/k
From reading the article, it seems the planets have semi-habitable climates, possible liquid water, that's interesting...
Perhaps these planets contain intelligent life, advanced far beyond our own. Perhaps they have learned the better way of pacifism and build technologies directed toward bettering life rather than destroying it.
If that's the case, I vote we conquer them, enslave their kind, take their technologies and patent them as our own, and propel ourselves toward a new age of luxury. It will serve as a witness to the galaxy that No One messes with Earth!
Basically, the human body atrophies during Space Travel from SAMENESS AND LACK OF PHYSICAL STRESS. My Fountain of Youth Temperature Oscillation Health System brings back the stress to ALL BODILY SYSTEMS. When you're on the hot side of the AC unit, the circulatory and lymph systems get reamed out & pumped, pores open wide, while on the cold side of the system you begin shivering as hypothermia is quickly achieved in 5-10 minutes from the induced rapid cooling. Shivering exercises every muscle group in the human body, all the way through.
Someone here mentioned it would take a long time to reach all those desperate women in the Neptunian ("greener pastures") Worlds but really, it will not take nearly as long as you think. I have developed an engine that can be adapted from producing electric current to making plenty of thrust for Light Speed. I have theorized a way to make a Quantum Leap (upon achieving Light Speed) that goes beyond the Speed of Light. How fast I don't know but Speed of Thought? Maybe. But there wouldn't be any way to know for sure you wouldn't come out in the middle of the Neptuninian aphrodite women's Sun... so maybe I'll pass on the 1st expedition.
btw, when you set up the Fountain of Youth System, use the Low Setting on the air conditioner. IT IS NOT A TOY. Cooling and warming the lungs and muscles in the inner chest walls overly much and too fast is enough to kill you. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. The system will strengthen the lungs of the wheelchair bound, the crippled & bedridden & disabled as well as recovering their heart health, but it will take months & a good deal of nutritional supplements is strongly advised. It will speed the healing process. For young bucks who are already healthy, the temperature oscillation will take you to a higher physical condition but you still NEED TO START OUT SLOW.
Another beautiful thing about letting an air conditioner exercise you, much like a hyperbaric chamber or an iron lung, is that NO WILLPOWER IS NEEDED; the willpower comes from the wall socket (electrical outlet). If there was a way to make you fall into a deep sleep while lying inside a temperature oscillation chamber you might not suffer the effects of ice crystal formation from suspended animation. In which case, you would arrive on Neptune 41 in great shape AND not have aged. Your mind would function perfectly, not suffering from Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease or strokes nor any heart atttacks from sedentary sleep, because your body was being exercised constantly during all the "(pdf) long trip" (@3-5 years Earth Time) there.
As I have mentioned before on SlashDot, my health system will reverse many diseases in the elderly & it is The Cure for American Obesity (American Poor Health, American Diabetes to some extent, and American children failure in school due to poor circulation & proper brain oxygenation). By bringing so many Americans returned to a better state of health we could save many billions of dollars and reduce national debt by removing the load from our healthcare system budget. Unfortunately the major wire services and television news reporters are refusing to print this lifesaving information, possibly because
Well guys/gals, a stargate will surely solve our distance woes. Let's call the Ancients!
Not only will every civilization you encounter have rougly your level of technology, their ships will also have their top side the facing the same direction as yours when you meet them.