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Gliese 581d Confirmed as 'Habitable' Exoplanet

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the but-you-wouldn't-want-to-live-there dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A rocky world orbiting a nearby star was confirmed (PDF) as the first planet outside our Solar System to meet key requirements for sustaining life." The "key requirement" was actually a Starbucks — astronomers were pretty surprised to find out that they like their coffee burnt on Gliese 581d too.

7 of 451 comments (clear)

  1. We've sent them a message already... by cruff · · Score: 5, Funny

    From TFA:

    However, humanity has already tried to make contact with the new planet. During Australia's National Science Week in August 2009, Cosmos magazine partnered with the Australian government, NASA and the CSIRO to run a 13-day campaign to collect goodwill messages from the public to be sent to Gliese 581d.

    The initiative, known as Hello From Earth, collected 26,000 messages, which were transmitted by NASA's Tidbinbilla facility. The signal is not due to arrive until January 2030.

    At which time it will be returned because we failed to include sufficient postage.

    1. Re:We've sent them a message already... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Hello from Earth?" They should have called it "Hello World!"

    2. Re:We've sent them a message already... by sqldr · · Score: 4, Funny

      either that, or..

      BLESSED GREETINGS

      I AM KANU YAKUBU FROM THE PLANET GLIESE 581D. I AM CROWN PRINCE AND BENEFACTOR OF AN OIL COMPANY WORTH 4,100,000,000,000 (FOUR POINT ONE TRILLION) BITCOINS, WHICH I... etc.

      --
      I wrote my first program at the age of six, and I still can't work out how this website works.
    3. Re:We've sent them a message already... by Surt · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's why I work at a cheetos factory. You don't eat the chef!

      --
      "Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
    4. Re:We've sent them a message already... by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Seems kind of rude to just start shouting at them."

      Not really, the scientists that though of it were from New Jersey.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  2. indeed by Artifex · · Score: 4, Funny

    Since it's within the Goldilocks zone, I'm guessing that the Starbucks serves oatmeal not too hot, and not too cold.

    --
    Get off my launchpad!
  3. Missionary by CosaNostra+Pizza+Inc · · Score: 3, Funny

    The 700 Club is already building a spaceship so a Missionary can be started there.