Astronomers Discover a Planet Almost Identical to Earth

It blows me away that so many people think we're alone in at least the galaxy and now we're finding earth like planets left and right to the point they say millions. Life could exist in environment not at all like earth but most defiantly exists on planets with comparable to earth.

Didn't someone post in another forum that a NASA scientist said he felt confident that we would find a twin earth 2013? Maybe I'm wrong, but i thought I saw one.

reply to post by yourmaker


Yes. It's quite convenient. They could have at least given us a drum roll.

Originally posted by SLAYER69
OK

Here we go....

This is becoming so routine it's getting scary. In my lifetime first they discover that other stars have planets, then they discover just how many planets are out there then they say there could be "Earth like" planets out there then just a few weeks ago they state there could be millions of possible "Earth Like" planets and now this.

As I stated last week when I posted another related topic thread something seems to be up...

Thoughts?

So Slayer, thanks for beginning this provocative thread, a lot of input, debate and shared information, very interesting!!!

Originally posted by NewAgeMan
reply to post by SLAYER69

 

....................But we don't want to jump the gun just because the planet is the right kind at the right distance from the right kind of star, although that's the precondition at least as a starting point, so it's still an exciting discovery nevertheless, but even if it was a rocky world at the perfect distance from a sun exactly like ours even still it might not be a "living" planet hosting an evolutionary process of life, like on earth.

And NewAgeMan, I appreciate your well thought out comments and supporting documentation. And I wholeheartedly agree with your latest statement above.

I'm not going to be able to tell you anything you don't know. Science has set the table based upon what we have learned so far. The universe is approx. 14.6 Billions year old from the point of the Big Bang. As the universe formed, so did the Earth, about 4.6 Billion years ago. Man, Science, Amateurs, and simple lay-persons continue to look to the stars just wondering: Is there another planet out there that holds life, but not just biological single cell organisms, but is there Intelligent Life out there....our only comparison: Us, is there anything out there, equal to or greater than us.

With the advancement of imagery, telescopic advances, these are exciting times. We continue to get pictures from NASA and others of images of deep space of nothing short of absolutely incredible things happening in the Universe, from Black Holes, Dark Matter, Nebulei, and Keplers narrow look within our own galaxy to see for the first time, images and proof of other star systems with planets revolving around them, and the speculation of how many can fit into that 'habital' range, just right...goldie-locks analogy, not to hot, not to cold. And that assumption is based upon what humans would need to live........there still maybe other life forms that live/survive in environments that are 'alien' to our concepts.

We are at the beginning of this new and exciting milestone in man's existence.....to actually see things that man has never seen before, and that is a WOW factor!

But as NewAgeMan rightfully cautions, from our scientific understanding on the formation of the earth and all of the elements, timing that had to be just 'right' not to just form the planet, but then to take that incredible leap which required even more inconceivable events to take place for life to occur and exist and evolve are still among many, unbelievable.

Time, advanced telescopes, advanced probes will keep moving the envelop forward. But we remember, we can only see those dim specks of light that are billions of light years away, with only the technology we have today. God only knows how much more is out there that we can't even begin to see the remaining massiveness in the universe.

Lastly, we are not even close to having a manned mission to any of the closest stars and the planets in our own galaxy. We can send up probes and unmanned missions, but these take decades to even begin to reach the limits of our own galaxy, just to get there......example, Voyager1 and 2, which are just about through our galaxy 40 years after they were first launched.

We are in exciting times, who really knows what is yet to be found. but you have to say, these are one hell of the times to be in and to witness some of these new images of our universe!

Peace! ID

EDIT: Stars and Flags have been posted

reply to post by metaldemon2000

Originally posted by metaldemon2000

Originally posted by wantsome
Show me pictures of a blue planet and I might believe it. It could be like Mars for all we know.

Maybe, however just a few years ago the argument went something like this:

There are no planets outside out solar system because we never confirmed any before and humans are never wrong!

Now its :

No such thing as earthlike planets because we never confirmed one!

Lol

Next it will be :

There are no such thing as dinosaurs outside of our solar system! Humans rule!

That's funny.

And since we're dealing in any case of another earth-like world, we're looking at very longggg processes of evolution ie: with animals of all kinds running about, feeding, organizing resources in different ways - ie: another earthlike planet.

Such a discovery would be the greatest discovery in the history of mankind here on earth in our quest to understand our true place in the cosmos, and if teaming with life, that doesn't reduce us to nothing, but still places us along the leading edge (via the present moment) of a cosmic evolutionary process, but not separate and alone, a part of. That, to me, would represent the most extraordinary realization for the human being, once we get past the ignorance of looking at everything in a separative, dualistic manner, and come to see and recocgnize instead that we are intrinsic to a formative causation as part of, an interpenetrating cosmological unitive experience, of life meeting life in the heavens above, and below, in all creatures great and small (there used to be a grace we'd sing at dinner time that contained that when I was a little kid..).

What a marvel that would be! A new paradigm.

Grace ie: sung with gusto.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Be present at our table, Lord
Be here and everywhere adored;
Thy creatures bless, and grant that we
May feast in paradise with Thee.

Ok everybody (at the big BIG table) LET's EAT!

Bread of Life.

Cheers! (beer toast),

NAM

P.S. Maybe it's not always "eat or be eaten" in "tooth and claw" but something (here, eat of me) capable of altogether transcending the possibility of predation by any power or principality, of any kind whatsoever, and who knows, maybe the whole universe and the cosmic family are friendly. At least it appears to be that way so far.. (fingers crossed).


P.S.S. "And the first will be last, and the last, first."

Wouldn't it be funny if in the final analysis the joke's on us, that we never knew just who and what we are and were as the crowning glory of creation, the discovery of which uplifted ALL "boats" in the process inviting everyone to laugh right along with us, at the utter absurdity of our prior ignorance looking back in hindsight from the POV of a true child of God (begotten from the first father of creation as a first/last cause and the alpha and omega of existence), made by consciousness for consciousness to have, enjoy and share in, a present moment experience of human being. That to me sounds like a mutual celebration at all levels and from end to end in "consummation and reintegration" or in short the party of the ages.

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

~ Romans

Awesome! I've been waiting for this to happen.

They are warming the population up for disclosure. Yeah!...... I said it!... Disclosure.

Y'all didn't think they'd just come out and say, "aliens exist and are visiting our planet", did you?. Disclosure will be released in stages. By the time we hear the whole truth, we will say, "Of course there are Aliens visiting Earth, why wouldn't there be?"

reply to post by SLAYER69


I thin its all dribble prepairing us for disclosure, honestly, im quite sick of these announcements when they know life exist, when NASA and others behind the cloaks know Extraterestrials exist, sensor NASA fooand Conspiracey resetage live, sensor missions and SOHO footage, its quite frustrating knowing that life exist for me as a individual and then we have to read this garbage! just out with it already! i hope the poeple who said life doesnt exist one day find out that NASA and the government lied! to them for years! it would take a mssaive disclosure from many NASA and governenment officials to convince people, but most of all i look forward to the day us UFO and conspiracey researchers can say "TOLD YOU SO!", Where not crazy after all!

reply to post by havok


You are so right.. then after that TPTB will have a "FAKE" invasion of said aliens, Who will probably be Holograms and will look so real most will believe them. Then TPTB will win if it is in there interest to do so .. OR maybe they will let the Holograms win and then they can make us all slaves. BUT it will be what they have planned. IT will not be real.. OH MAYBE.. Just Maybe the "WATCHERS" are really out there and will STOP them.. But I think they are called Watchers for a reason..

reply to post by Darkmask



THE WHOLE TRUTH? When have you EVER learned the WHOLE TRUTH? NEVER..you will be fed the "TRUTH" they want you to believe. You may learn there are Aliens among us.. But They will not tell you the truth.

I'm not sure what you're implying by "something seems to be up". Technological progress is happening in every scientific field: physics, computer science, etc - so why would astrophysics be any different?

Very interesting news nonetheless.

I'm still skeptical though. Besides the astrophysical conditions being present, that doesn't necessarily mean that there is a planet out there which conforms to these astrophysical condition wwith the exact same conditions of life that prevail here. Although, undoubtedly, it's a logical proposition to start from.

Great! Now I can find an extraterrestrial 2nd wife without having to worry about getting into trouble with the girl next door.

reply to post by SLAYER69

Tiamat was called a "watery giant" by the Sumerians.

Originally posted by NewAgeMan
reply to post by SLAYER69

 

From the research that I've done, for another planet to be deemed an earth twin, it would have to be a rocky water world like earth, which requires a finely tuned dynamic equilibrium balancing as that which has occurred here on earth due not to the distance from the sun (habitable zone, or goldilocks zone) but to the influence of our large moon ("large" by comparison to the size of the earth) without which liquid water over the majority of the surface of the planet, and the cycle of life that we enjoy would not be possible.

The key then would involve a spectroscopic analysis of the planet's atmosphere and surface to determine if it's a rocky water world like earth, something that will become possible within 10-20 years compliments of the Square Kilometer Array or SKA.

The more target of interest planets we find in the interim while that scientific instrument is being developed the greater the likelihood that we'll find what we're looking for in the form of a world covered in liquid water.

But we don't want to jump the gun just because the planet is the right kind at the right distance from the right kind of star, although that's the precondition at least as a starting point, so it's still an exciting discovery nevertheless, but even if it was a rocky world at the perfect distance from a sun exactly like ours even still it might not be a "living" planet hosting an evolutionary process of life, like on earth.

Distance to the sun is obviously critical, but what I meant was that without the moon balancing the earth in a seasonable wobble, and at the right tilt and angle, life as we know it would not exist. In the earlier years of earth, the moon was also closer to the earth and thus the tidal forces were much greater causing saltwater oceans to daily flood the inland continent(s) a process ripe with the opportunity for the growth and evolution of complex cellular DNA. Intriguingly, and by some sort of astronomical coincidence which seems to defy the strong anthropic principal, it is only now, when there are self aware observers (human beings) that the moon is at a distance whereby it precisely and perfectly eclipses the sun by being about 400 times smaller than the sun with the sun 400 times farther away. I believe there is also a correspondence between the gestation period of a human being and the lunar calendar (don't have the time to look it up).


It's extraordinarily precise - thus giving some pause to the notion that earth-like planets are ubiquitous by virtue of simply being a rocky world at the right distance from the right kind of star.

Additionally, in considering the phenomenon of solar (and lunar) eclipse, because the shadow of the earth is also the same diameter as the moon, along with the following geometrical relationship between the moon and the earth



We begin to appreciate at the very least the rather unique cosmological configuration (weighted in favor of life) that exists here on earth - and in spite of acknowledging the very real possibility of other earth-like worlds, nevertheless recognizing that it is almost certainly only and exclusively here on earth where a ten fingered bipedal self aware, sentient observer, can look up at certain times (with eyes shielded of course) and see their giant, single moon perfectly eclipse their sun. What does it mean?, that's the question that comes to my mind, that and the idea of superintelligent design..


Finding an earth twin then is really like looking for a very small needle in a very big haystack, and Kepler is constrained only to look at a small portion of the galaxy, and only for transiting planets when the vast majority of them might not transit their sun from our POV.

This is why we need the SKA to come on line, but sadly have to wait about another 10 years, but 10 years isn't a long time to wait in matters of such far reaching implication and significance.

‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought:

~ Haggai 2:18

TPTB looking for a new home when they destroy this one?

I think it's awesome that there are more Earth's out there....maybe a planet like Pandora?

reply to post by Hr2burn


I agree wholeheartedly with you. I have no doubt in my mind that there is life elsewhere in the Galaxy let alone universe. Whether it's super advanced intelligent life, capable of reaching us here on Earth, I'm not so sure, but I do believe there is life out there. More than likely, as advanced as we are.

Update: Israel just claimed it as their 'God-given' planet

On a more serious note, if I see one person mention Nibiru in this thread I will hang myself in my broom closet. Don't test me. I already have the extension cord tied into a noose and a stool propped below it.

reply to post by NewAgeMan


Did you write that up?? Very good post Newageman. Didn't know you were so science savvy.

Originally posted by NewAgeMan
reply to post by SLAYER69

 

The key then would involve a spectroscopic analysis of the planet's atmosphere and surface to determine if it's a rocky water world like earth, something that will become possible within 10-20 years compliments of the Square Kilometer Array or SKA.

The more target of interest planets we find in the interim while that scientific instrument is being developed the greater the likelihood that we'll find what we're looking for in the form of a world covered in liquid water.

But we don't want to jump the gun just because the planet is the right kind at the right distance from the right kind of star, although that's the precondition at least as a starting point, so it's still an exciting discovery nevertheless, but even if it was a rocky world at the perfect distance from a sun exactly like ours even still it might not be a "living" planet hosting an evolutionary process of life, like on earth.

edit on 10-1-2013 by NewAgeMan because: (no reason given)

You hit the nail on the head, Sir. Not to mention the upcoming Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPL) mission. This array, if funded, built, and launched, will allow us that level of granularity to detect and study terrestrial sized planets.....like earth.

This is a great discovery, yes, but there are more to come....we just have to be patient, and maybe even petition our elected officials to release the purse strings to the science missions to do the research we want FASTER.

reply to post by Krakatoa

And if probing deep space affordibly is their mission, then I don't see why NASA doesn't get on board with this and starting firing out SKA's into deep space and piggy back on these developments, which could "unfurl" (to a square kilometer) once they're out there, and actively participate with the land-based systems in this upcoming survey of our galaxy, while also examining earth's signature from deep space as a model by which to draw comparisons when examining exoplanets. We can't be smarter than NASA can we?

It's both mind-boggling and somewhat depressing to me when scientists find planets that likely have life on them and yet they're so far away that the life/planet could be dead and devoid of life by now. Even if we could travel at the speed of light, wouldn't it take LIFETIMES just to get to one of these planets? Once we get there, we find out that the target planet had died, collided with another body, or that its Sun exploded. Too bad there's no way to find out the actual, real-time condition of a planet before we invest trillions of dollars and resources to reach it.

Our best hope for reaching other star systems probably rests in the hands of some advanced alien visitors who are willing to give guided tours. Our science advances quickly, but moving from a camp-fire to the microwave is puny achievement compared to what is needed to take us to distant star systems. It's personally humbling just imagining what would go into such an undertaking.
-cwm