CNN: NASA Finds Earth v2.0!

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Joemonkey

Diamond Member
Mar 3, 2001
8,859
4
0
Originally posted by: microAmp
Originally posted by: Shawn
20,000 light years away? Even if we were able to reach the speed of light, that's still a hell of a long time!

About 21 years, if I did my math right.

speed of light = 299,792,458 m / s <-- from Google

uh... there really isn't any math involved... a light year is the distance light travels in a year.

20,000 light years away, at the speed of light, = 20,000 years to get there
 

Syrch

Diamond Member
May 21, 2004
3,382
2
0
Cant he human body withstand the G Force while travelling such a speed? Would we have to come up with some sort of teleporting device?
 

dxkj

Lifer
Feb 17, 2001
11,772
2
81
Originally posted by: microAmp
Originally posted by: Shawn
20,000 light years away? Even if we were able to reach the speed of light, that's still a hell of a long time!

About 21 years, if I did my math right.

speed of light = 299,792,458 m / s <-- from Google

lol are you trying to be funny?

in our current state of the space program it would be closer to 20,000 years * the fraction of the speed of light we can travel at, making it much closer to 1 million years t han 20 years
 

DivideBYZero

Lifer
May 18, 2001
24,117
2
0
Originally posted by: Syrch
Cant he human body withstand the G Force while travelling such a speed? Would we have to come up with some sort of teleporting device?

Only accelerating to that speed would be an issue. Sustained speed isn't AFAIK.
 

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
24,036
21
81
Originally posted by: Syrch
Originally posted by: SagaLore
planet++

Early in my childhood when first got interested in space, I could have sworn that astronomers were having a tough time detecting any other planets at all. I remember being told that our solar system was very unique and other starts didn't have planets. Am I recalling incorrectly?


heh depends..how old are you? Not to be rude but if that was like 20 years ago sure...if it was 5 years ago..probably not

I was born in '80.
 

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
24,036
21
81
Originally posted by: Proletariat
Originally posted by: Proletariat
Considering that its orbiting a Red Dwarf it may have been at one time habitable.

It would be interesting if there were already civilizations on this planet that came and went long before the advent of mankind.

Makes you think about how insignificant we are in the big scheme of things.

You really think so? I think the opposite. I think we're extremely significant. The chances of intelligent life forming on another planet is slim, the chances of that life succeeding into a diverse ecosystem is even slimmer, and the chances of one of those organisms to reach a level of intelligence and capability to travel beyond their planet to other planets is improbable. I believe the universe is destined to by our playground - we must progress and colonize every uninhabited planet we can get to. :)
 

BDawg

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
11,631
2
0
Originally posted by: DaShen
Originally posted by: Trippin315
Originally posted by: BDawg
I wonder if this planet is older or younger than Earth's 4.6 billion years old?


Fixed

;) Isn't it 6.4 billion years.

4.6 is PreCambrian.


You people are impossible. Don't you know anything about the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics or how satan uses half lifes and dinosaur bones to test your faith?
 

Syrch

Diamond Member
May 21, 2004
3,382
2
0
Originally posted by: SagaLore
Originally posted by: Proletariat
Originally posted by: Proletariat
Considering that its orbiting a Red Dwarf it may have been at one time habitable.

It would be interesting if there were already civilizations on this planet that came and went long before the advent of mankind.

Makes you think about how insignificant we are in the big scheme of things.

You really think so? I think the opposite. I think we're extremely significant. The chances of intelligent life forming on another planet is slim, the chances of that life succeeding into a diverse ecosystem is even slimmer, and the chances of one of those organisms to reach a level of intelligence and capability to travel beyond their planet to other planets is improbable. I believe the universe is destined to by our playground - we must progress and colonize every uninhabited planet we can get to. :)


I like that line of thinking :) But thats one MASSIVE playground :)
 

Proletariat

Diamond Member
Dec 9, 2004
5,614
0
0
Originally posted by: Syrch
Originally posted by: SagaLore
Originally posted by: Proletariat
Originally posted by: Proletariat
Considering that its orbiting a Red Dwarf it may have been at one time habitable.

It would be interesting if there were already civilizations on this planet that came and went long before the advent of mankind.

Makes you think about how insignificant we are in the big scheme of things.

You really think so? I think the opposite. I think we're extremely significant. The chances of intelligent life forming on another planet is slim, the chances of that life succeeding into a diverse ecosystem is even slimmer, and the chances of one of those organisms to reach a level of intelligence and capability to travel beyond their planet to other planets is improbable. I believe the universe is destined to by our playground - we must progress and colonize every uninhabited planet we can get to. :)


I like that line of thinking :) But thats one MASSIVE playground :)

I used to think liek that, but as our technology gets better it seems less and less likely.

Earthlike planets common
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,402
8,574
126
Originally posted by: Syrch
hey question...20,000 light years...we aren't going to shuttle there any time soon. What type of technology would we need to get there and is it so far advanced for us that its not even a reality?

the warp engine the military is working on would be able to do it. but some of the basic physics needs to be proved out in reality first.
 

iwantanewcomputer

Diamond Member
Apr 4, 2004
5,045
0
0
Originally posted by: Baked
Originally posted by: Syrch
hey question...20,000 light years...we aren't going to shuttle there any time soon. What type of technology would we need to get there and is it so far advanced for us that its not even a reality?

We'll get there as soon as somebody's smart enough to prove that objects don't stop when they reach the speed of light.

they don't stop when they reach the speed of light because objects with mass never reach the speed of light.
 

Proletariat

Diamond Member
Dec 9, 2004
5,614
0
0
Originally posted by: ElFenix
Originally posted by: Syrch
hey question...20,000 light years...we aren't going to shuttle there any time soon. What type of technology would we need to get there and is it so far advanced for us that its not even a reality?

the warp engine the military is working on would be able to do it. but some of the basic physics needs to be proved out in reality first.

AFAIK, that warp engine being theorized by our army is going to be able to reach a star 11 light years away in 80 days. Thats amazing, but still too slow for this.
 

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
24,036
21
81
Originally posted by: Proletariat
AFAIK, that warp engine being theorized by our army is going to be able to reach a star 11 light years away in 80 days. Thats amazing, but still too slow for this.

Nah, consider that first gear. The next step is trans-warp (warp inside of warp inside of warp). Then we'll be cruising in 5th gear. ;)
 

Proletariat

Diamond Member
Dec 9, 2004
5,614
0
0
Originally posted by: SagaLore
Originally posted by: Proletariat
AFAIK, that warp engine being theorized by our army is going to be able to reach a star 11 light years away in 80 days. Thats amazing, but still too slow for this.

Nah, consider that first gear. The next step is trans-warp (warp inside of warp inside of warp). Then we'll be cruising in 5th gear. ;)

That would make Star Trek seem really impressive.

Don't they have different 'warp gears' in that?
 

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
24,036
21
81
Originally posted by: Proletariat
Originally posted by: SagaLore
Originally posted by: Proletariat
AFAIK, that warp engine being theorized by our army is going to be able to reach a star 11 light years away in 80 days. Thats amazing, but still too slow for this.

Nah, consider that first gear. The next step is trans-warp (warp inside of warp inside of warp). Then we'll be cruising in 5th gear. ;)

That would make Star Trek seem really impressive.

Don't they have different 'warp gears' in that?

Warp 1, 2, 3... 9.9999. 10 is theoretically unachievable, although I think they surpass it using other technologies in the future. Those aren't gears though, it is a logarithmic scale.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
63,075
19,398
136
Originally posted by: dxkj
The stupid thing is, it would take 56k years to send a signal and have it returned to us..

We really need to find a way to have faster-than-light communication

Quantum entanglement FTW
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,402
8,574
126
Originally posted by: SagaLore
Originally posted by: Proletariat
AFAIK, that warp engine being theorized by our army is going to be able to reach a star 11 light years away in 80 days. Thats amazing, but still too slow for this.

Nah, consider that first gear. The next step is trans-warp (warp inside of warp inside of warp). Then we'll be cruising in 5th gear. ;)

i prefer top gear

clarkson > tiff