From: Michael Lorrey (retroman@together.net)
Date: Thu Jul 02 1998 - 16:04:05 MDT
James wrote:
> Michael Lorrey said at the end of a message:
>
> >- ------------------------------------------------------------
> >BIG NEWS: The most newly discovered extrasolar planet is now less than a
> four
> >year trip away at constant 1 g acceleration!!!
>
> Yes, but isn't it thought to be a gas giant like Jupiter, or a
> brown dwarf? Don't we need to find Earth-like planets?
Yes, however, a) earth sized planets are very hard to find, as they are very
small, and b) anywhere there is a gas giant planet, there exists sufficient
angular momentum in the system for a high likelihood of other, less detectable
planets. c) as close as this new planet is to its star, one of its moons, or
even a small planet in a closer orbit would be large enough and warm enough to
be at least marginally habitable/terraformable...
There are hints of small planets around some nearer stars (including Proxima
Centauri, the closest star), but not enough redundant evidence at present to
make a conclusive case. I expect by the time we are able to send probes out on
such missions, we will have very good images of even earth sized planets within
100 or so light years thanks to the interferometry projects currently in the
planning stages.
The smallest planet found so far is I beleive 3 times the mass of Earth, in an
eccentric orbit around a star 35 light years away, accompanied by at least two
other superjovian planets.
Things are starting to look up.
-- TANSTAAFL!!! Michael Lorrey ------------------------------------------------------------ mailto:retroman@together.net Inventor of the Lorrey Drive MikeySoft: Graphic Design/Animation/Publishing/Engineering ------------------------------------------------------------ How many fnords did you see before breakfast today?
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