Slashdot Mirror
Astrophysicists Find "Impossible" Planet
SpuriousLogic writes "Scientists have discovered a planet that shouldn't exist. The finding, they say, could alter our understanding of orbital dynamics, a field considered pretty well settled since the time of astronomer Johannes Kepler 400 years ago.
The planet is known as a 'hot Jupiter,' a gas giant orbiting the star Wasp-18, about 330 light years from Earth. The planet, Wasp-18b, is so close to the star that it completes a full orbit (its "year") in less than an Earth day, according to the research, which was published in the journal Nature.
Of the more than 370 exoplanets — planets orbiting stars other than our sun — discovered so far, this is just the second with such a close orbit.
The problem is that a planet that close should be consumed by its parent star in less than a million years, say the authors at Keele University in England. The star Wasp-18 is believed to be about a billion years old, and since stars and the planets around them are thought to form at the same time, Wasp-18b should have been reduced to cinders ages ago."
...IT'S A TRAP!!!!!
RFC2119
A planet must orbit the Sun.
t
Does anyone else feel that this planet might be able to defy conventional orbital mechanics through the power of Concentrated Evil?
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
It's Disaster Area's stage in a parking orbit.
Chuck Norris is a native of the planet, our yellow sun saps his powers.
Its the Impossible Planet tell him to look for The Satan Pit
Your news program sucks. 11 is too late. I'm in bed by then.
"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
Or maybe that's one fucking badass planet. The lesson to be learned here is do not fuck with Wasp-18b.
I propose the term "ugly jupiter" in conjuction with "fridgid star". We shall call the orbit "the chastity belt".
I record my sleeptalking
"Well, science knows it doesn't know everything! Otherwise it would stop."
Fox News Journalist: Impossible planet discovered. Will Obama's nazi socialist policies tax the good citizens of Wasp-18b until they commit suicide by diving into their sun? Find out at 8pm on The Factor!
MSNBC Journalist: Impossible planet discovered. Will Dick Cheney come back to power and invade it on false pretenses? Find out at 8pm on Countdown!
CNN Journalist: Impossible planet discovered. Watch our exciting report wherein we will use cutting edge technology to display an image of this planet above a floating pie chart!
Tabloid Journalist: Loch Ness Monster seen again! Read the shocking new evidence that proves she hails from Wasp-18b!
Slashdot Editor: Astrophysicists Find "Impossible" Planet
Different Slashdot Editor a week later: Astrophysicists Find "Impossible" Planet
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
> Queue the 'Killer meteor will come within 100 miles of earth!' too as the
> scientists ramp up their efforts to get funding.
Them getting funding for things like LINEAR is, of course, really silly
compared to:
"Oh look, honey, a shooting star! Quick...let's make a wish!"
"Wow, honey, that IS a beautiful shooting star!"
"I can still see it...you too, right?"
"That shooting star is...farking BIG!"
"Is it just me or is this gettin' creepy?"
"Now I can hear it too :-/"
WHOOOOOOSH........KABOOM!!!!!
[insert earth tremors, tidal waves and general catastrophe here]
The finding of this impossible planet clearly means that the infinite improbability drive is in existence. Shall we name the planet Magrathea?
A DROPDOWN BOX IS A VERY VERY STUPID MECHANISM FOR MODERATION.
Unfortunately not all browsers reliably support the Hot Branding Iron control ...
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
So you are implying that the Slashdot editors are arguably better at creating headlines than mainstream media?
Yes. At least twice as good, as a matter of fact.
Yup... this star was probably depressive. After some billion years it realize how life and the galaxy was meaningless, and started is suicidal spiraling.
Al Gore: This proves that global warming exists, and is caused by man!
Internet Journalist: Al Gore claims that he invented Wasp-18b.
GW Crowd: Al Gore, the inventor of the internet, claims that man created Wasp-18b.
Slashdot: Al Gore crates the innernet.
Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
sudo mod parent +1 insightful
password: **********
modding.... [35%]
The clients didn't pay the Magratheans their bill on time.
Free Martian Whores!
He had it right: in case of large tinfoil hat, Slashdot is prepared.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
[creationist mode] Ha! So now even scientists admit that "orbital dynamics" is a fraud! The Earth really is flat and the center of the universe! AND TO MAKE MY POINT EVEN BETTER, I'LL PUT IT IN ALL CAPS!!!!! [/creationist mode]
Similar to the upcoming US election results
C:\WINDOWS>sudo mod parent +1 insightful
'sudo' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
You insensitive clod!!!
To "young"-earth creationists, what we see here is certainly not "impossible," or improbable. In fact, it is to be expected!
That planet is "impossible" because their "science" is impossible.
Orbital dynamics "settled" science for 400 years? The age of the universe (ballpark figure) had been settled for a lot longer than that until modern, naturalist scientists decided to unsettle it. Look who's doing the backpedaling now... (Not saying they'll return to Genesis for answers; they'll just devise even more wildly contorted naturalistic hypotheses to explain why reality discombobulates their "settled" teachings.)