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Water Found in Exoplanet's Atmosphere

anthemaniac writes "Astronomers have long suspected that water should exist in the atmospheres of extrasolar planets. Now they have evidence. Water has been discovered in a planet called HD209458b, which was previously found to have oxygen. From the article: 'The discovery ... means one of the most crucial elements for life as we know it can exist around planets orbiting other stars.' But don't go looking for little green men. You might remember HD209458b as a 'hot Jupiter' that boils under the glow of its very nearby star."

16 of 185 comments (clear)

  1. Do your research... by otacon · · Score: 4, Funny

    I live on HD209458b you insensitive clod.

    --
    In a world of acronyms, the words are the real victims.
  2. Criteria for Life by SuperKendall · · Score: 5, Funny

    But don't go looking for little green men. You might remember HD209458b as a 'hot Jupiter' that boils under the glow of its very nearby star."

    Where there is hot water, there are saunas. Where there are saunas, there are tourists. Thus this remote planet has life, and most likley drinks with little umbrellas (or "snotzwathctls" as the local dialect probably refers to them).

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  3. Of course! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why, just the other day I said "Hey, remember HD209458b"? and everyone was like "Oh yeah, that's the 'Hot Jupiter', right?"

    1. Re:Of course! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Why, just the other day I said "Hey, remember HD209458b"? and everyone was like "Oh yeah, that's the 'Hot Jupiter', right?"
      At least it wasn't 'Great Personality Jupiter.'
  4. No little green men? by DaveV1.0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    How about large, flying whales?

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    There is no "-1 offended" or "-1 you don't agree with me" mod options for a reason.
  5. Aaaaaahhhhhh...... by ricky-road-flats · · Score: 5, Funny

    You might remember HD209458b as a 'hot Jupiter' that boils under the glow of its very nearby star.
    Oh, *that* HB209458b...
    1. Re:Aaaaaahhhhhh...... by otacon · · Score: 2, Funny

      I was getting it confused with HD209458a for the longest time.

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      In a world of acronyms, the words are the real victims.
    2. Re:Aaaaaahhhhhh...... by Mipoti+Gusundar · · Score: 0, Funny

      I am coming to America on a HB209458b.

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      Will code for new sig.
  6. "Hi, I'm Troy McClure..." by sczimme · · Score: 4, Funny


    "You might remember me from such planets as HD209458b, the 'hot Jupiter' that boils under the glow of its very nearby star, and from Earth, the deadliest planet of them all."

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    I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
  7. HOT JUPITERS !!! its back by unity100 · · Score: 2, Funny

    someone after the 'hot jupiters' article in in slashdot had had said that his/her favorite exclamation was going to be "HOT JUPITERS !!!!" . i wonder what s/he is doing now.

    ah hey. theres a new meme for you.

  8. Lots of heat and pressure... by insanemime · · Score: 1, Funny

    But don't go looking for little green men. Just tell the US government there's oil up there and see how well funded NASA becomes.
  9. Re:Straw poll: by CogDissident · · Score: 4, Funny

    Besides, whats the use of finding a space buffalo if we can't kill it, eat it's flesh, wear it's skin, and turn the land it used to live on into farmland?

  10. Re:Oblig. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    These 'Obligatory...' posts are common enough now to be shortened into Internet Acronyms (IAs). For example, you might have written:

    Subject: Ob.
    Body: IFOWON HD209458 overlords.

    This IA has the added benefit of sounding a bit like the phrase it's replacing.

    Likewise, slashdot humor can get the IA treatment:

    In Soviet Russia = ISR
    Imagine a Beowulf cluster of = IABCO
    But does it run Linux? = BDIRL?

    and so on. Doing this would save precious bits, and would serve well as a in-joke for the Slashdot cognoscenti. Thus, I, Anonymous Coward, the most prolific poster on Slashdot, hereby recommend that IAs replace all standing Slashdot catch-phrases.

  11. Re:Read this book: Rare Earth by Anonymous+Custard · · Score: 4, Funny

    So we are very very unlikely to ever find any life that we can talk to.

    Kind of like on slashdot.
  12. Re:Perhaps by Viper+Daimao · · Score: 4, Funny

    and if we're unfortunate it will be the Shadows and Goa'uld.

    --
    "In the game of life, someone always has to lose. To me, if life were fair, that someone would always be Oklahoma." -DKR
  13. Re:Perhaps by inviolet · · Score: 4, Funny

    I dunno, if some of the worst of the current political trends continue, we'll end up being the Vorlons instead.

    Vorlons? More like Vogons. You know, the fat, bureaucratic bullies who write horrible emo poetry and eventually demolished the Earth in order to build a useless bypass.

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    FATMOUSE + YOU = FATMOUSE