NASA's Spitzer Sees the Light of Alien 'Super Earth'

NASA's Spitzer Sees the Light of Alien 'Super Earth'

www.jpl.nasa.gov

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected light emanating from a "super-Earth" planet beyond our solar system for the first time. While the planet is not habitable, the detection is a historic step toward the eventual search for signs of life on other planets.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Clearly the ability to detect light from a planet would enable the detection of artificial light or other emissions - this discovery was actually of infrared light from measurement of the changes to the stars emissions as the planet crossed in front of it.

Previously, Spitzer and other telescopes were able to study the planet by analyzing how the light from 55 Cancri changed as the planet passed in front of the star. In the new study, Spitzer measured how much infrared light comes from the planet itself. The results reveal the planet is likely dark, and its sun-facing side is more than 2,000 Kelvin (3,140 degrees Fahrenheit), hot enough to melt metal.

I guess it's not habitable as we know it...but who really knows!!

www.jpl.nasa.gov
(visit the link for the full news article)

While this is a good find, I wonder how many times we are going to hear the same as the below statement? There always seems to be a historic step towards something in space...

the detection is a historic step toward the eventual search for signs of life on other planets.

Damn it! I'm tired and getting older. Find it already!

love how they say life doesn,t exist on it,seriously how the hell do they know?they don,t....how many things have they had to reavaluate in the last few years cause what they believed to be was proved to be wrong?

reply to post by sparky31


Well it might have something to do with it being hot enough for metals to be molten

Clearly the ability to detect light from a planet would enable the detection of artificial light

They wouldn't be able to detect that. The light of a star reflecting off a planet is vastly more than artificial lights.

Correct me if I'm wrong here and I don't mean to derail your thread here mate, nor am I having a go but hasn't there been a few of these type of discoveries lately?

How is this one different, is it the particular telescope used? I am genuinely asking a question here as my knowledge on the subject is limited at best.

Originally posted by CB328

Clearly the ability to detect light from a planet would enable the detection of artificial light

They wouldn't be able to detect that. The light of a star reflecting off a planet is vastly more than artificial lights.

Can I suggest you read the article?

Originally posted by Pirateofpsychonautics
Correct me if I'm wrong here and I don't mean to derail your thread here mate, nor am I having a go but hasn't there been a few of these type of discoveries lately?

How is this one different, is it the particular telescope used? I am genuinely asking a question here as my knowledge on the subject is limited at best.

What they have found (or claim to have found) is the radiation/light coming from the planet itself.

The technique of finding planets from solar dimming when the planet passes in front of the star only measures the change in light from the star.

reply to post by Aloysius the Gaul


There is other life out there, just Google Phil Schneider he claims he has killed two large greys while working for the govt. on a D.U.M.P. The aliens shot his fingers off in the process. True story.

reply to post by Aloysius the Gaul


Cool, thanks mate! Makes sense.

reply to post by jude11


I know man, they should keep all the "steps" to themselves and come to us when they
have the full story. by the time we hear anything really juicy I'll probably be dead, or to
senile to comprehend it.