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Super-Earth Discovered In Star's Habitable Zone

Posted by samzenpus on from the big-house dept.

astroengine writes "The family of planets circling a relatively close dwarf star has grown to six, including a potential rocky world at least seven times more massive than Earth that is properly located for liquid water to exist on its surface, a condition believed to be necessary for life. Scientists added three new planets to three discovered in 2008 orbiting an orange star called HD 40307, which is roughly three-quarters as massive as the sun and located about 42 light-years away in the constellation Pictor. Of particular interest is the outermost planet, which is believed to fly around its parent star over 320 days, a distance that places it within HD 40307's so-called "habitable zone.""

7 of 135 comments (clear)

  1. Fermi's p by harvey+the+nerd · · Score: 4, Funny

    seven times more massive than Earth...
    so much for their early space program

    1. Re:Fermi's p by Sperbels · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just as well, because if they ever did get off their planet they would be able to beat us. (their ships would out maneuver ours , they would have faster reflexes, and we wouldn't have a chance in hand to claw combat

      Would they? Maybe their biochemistry makes it more efficient for them to have extremely slow reflexes. Maybe their movements would be as fast as grass growing. We could round up their entire invasion force and give them all anal probes and alien autopsies before they even knew what happened.

    2. Re:Fermi's p by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      We could round up their entire invasion force and give them all anal probes and alien autopsies before they even knew what happened.

      I find your ideas intriguing and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

    3. Re:Fermi's p by tgd · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just as well, because if they ever did get off their planet they would be able to beat us.
      (their ships would out maneuver ours , they would have faster reflexes, and we wouldn't have a chance in hand to claw combat

      And worst of all, their muscles are probably so dense, no amount of slow roasting will bring out any real flavor.

  2. Re:Wake me up when they find a second earth by feedayeen · · Score: 4, Funny

    He's just waiting for us to find something 80% N2 and 20% O2 with 70% of it's surface covered in water before he unveils his warp teleporter.

  3. Re:Apostrophe! by Tukz · · Score: 4, Funny

    Potato, tomato.

    --
    - Don't do what I do, it's probably not healthy nor safe. -
  4. Re:42 light years by Metabolife · · Score: 3, Funny

    Who would want to spend their entire life in a small room surrounded by their parents? Oh wait.. this is /.