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Post by Mistress Rell on Nov 8, 2007 10:15:19 GMT -5
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NASA scientists said they discovered a fifth planet orbiting a star outside our own solar system and say the discovery suggests there are many solar systems that are, just like our own, packed with planets. The new planet is much bigger than Earth, but is a similar distance away from its sun, a star known as 55 Cancri, the astronomers said on Tuesday. Four planets had already been seen around the star, but the discovery marks the first time as many as five planets have been found orbiting a solar system outside our own with its eight planets, said Debra Fischer, an astronomer at San Francisco State University. Life could conceivably live on the surface of a moon that might be orbiting the new planet, but such a moon would be far too small to detect using current methods, the astronomers said. "The star is very much like our own sun. It has about the same mass and is about the same age as our sun," Fischer told reporters. "It's a system that appears to be packed with planets." Full Article~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This could be the beginning of Mankinds venture out into space. I bet if it is confermed that water or other form of life is discovered on this world, it would set off a race to see if we could create the technology needed to travel to one of these distant worlds. The thought is very exciting!!!
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Post by Enchant on Nov 10, 2007 20:09:27 GMT -5
I agree it is exciting... I would love them to travel in my lifetime to a new system and discover new life...although it is a scary thought as well.., but I know it will never happen...not unless we get first contact with a species with the technology to do so....I think that if something that huge ever did happen that it would be a joint effort...it would need to be....
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