Earth sized exoplanet around Alpha Centauri B

[VigdisVZ]

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/10/alpha-centauri-nearest-star-has-earth-sized-planet/

3 day orbit. Probably really hot. The aliens better have seatbelts and asbestos caps.

[Atlas]

Awsome, I'll bring the SPF 50.

[Monty]

Awsome, I'll bring the SPF 50.

Could use regulation number 1's for sun spot observations, no need for a solar scope.

[Cath]

I did always wonder if their were any planets orbiting there, and their is

Seems like most every star has planets now, which is cool!

[Rihard]

http://abcnews.go.co...h-sized-planet/

3 day orbit. Probably really hot. The aliens better have seatbelts and asbestos caps.

I read the news this morning, cool stuff ! It seems to be a very hot lava planet, but there might be additional planets around there, and who knows, they might even be more hospitable then this one.

And it's only 5 light years away from our home planet!

Folks, I have a question for the maths lovers: making major efforts and pushing the current technologies, how long would it take for a probe to get there?

[mikey32shaw]

I may be wrong but about 78 thousand years ish??? There will be more brainier people to maybe answer that one lol

[E621Keith]

Sweet. This may become the first planet to be visited by humans / probe. If we can build a spacecraft that can travel at 10% speed of light, it should get there in 44 years. 10% speed of light is about the theoretical upper limit of several nuclear powered space ship concept, so may be we will be able to get a probe there in the next few hundred years.

Humanity needs to check whether Earth is schduled for demolition in the local planning office there.

[Rihard]

Sweet. This may become the first planet to be visited by humans / probe. If we can build a spacecraft that can travel at 10% speed of light, it should get there in 44 years. 10% speed of light is about the theoretical upper limit of several nuclear powered space ship concept, so may be we will be able to get a probe there in the next few hundred years.

Humanity needs to check whether Earth is schduled for demolition in the local planning office there.

mikey32shaw I did some calculations and got a similar number, but not sure what I did

E621Keith it's not that long, think about Voyager that is beaming back data after 35 years! Then it would take about 5 years to get to know it arrived, correct?

Sadly, if such project would - by any chance - take place in the next 30 / 40 years, I probably won't be around anymore to get to know what's going on in the Alpha Centauri neighborhood.

If we could find some sort of shortcut or just slightly increase that (theoretical) 10 % of light speed .....

[E621Keith]

...

Sadly, if such project would - by any chance - take place in the next 30 / 40 years, I probably won't be around anymore to get to know what's going on in the Alpha Centauri neighborhood.

...

May be advances in medicine and medical technology in the next hundred year will keep you alive to see it. IMHO, 40 years could be a optimistic launch date. It has been over 40 years since the moon landing and humanity have gone approximately nowhere. ISS is about as far as we went. Unmanned probes have gone further but nothing will catch up with the 1970's Voyagers in the foreseeable future.

Brain floating in a jar anyone

[Andy McK]

May be advances in medicine and medical technology in the next hundred year will keep you alive to see it. IMHO, 40 years could be a optimistic launch date. It has been over 40 years since the moon landing and humanity have gone approximately nowhere. ISS is about as far as we went. Unmanned probes have gone further but nothing will catch up with the 1970's Voyagers in the foreseeable future.

Brain floating in a jar anyone

Mine all ready is, pull it out for special occations

But seriously. Considering how (most?) stars are formed, I would imagine that a planetary system orbiting it would be the default setting?