Revision of Gliese 581 g from Fri, 01/10/2010 - 17:21

m0rnin,

by n0w I’m sure m0st 0f y0u have heard 0f the disc0very 0f the planet Gliese 581 g. This is a planet that has the “p0tential” f0r sustaining water in a liquid state. Which basically means, it c0uld supp0rt life. But there are many unkn0wns still ab0ut Gliese 581 g

It is t00 early t0 tell, 0r assume, that life c0uld exist there. There are still many unkn0wn critical fact0rs that are yet t0 be determined. But it d0es appear t0 be fav0urable, and it is t0 date the best extra s0lar planetary candidate f0r supp0rting life.

Gliese 581 is a M3V class star. A red dwarf. it is l0cated 20.3 light years away fr0m us. The planet is estimated t0 be between 3 to 4 Earth “masses”. What this means is, the planet d0esn’t necessarily have t0 be 3-4 times m0re in diameter 0f the Earths. It may very well be 0nly twice the diameter 0f the Earth, which is still pretty big anyways.
Its actual c0mp0siti0n is yet unkn0wn. It’s water c0ntent is yet unkn0wn. The existence 0f a str0ng magnetic field is yet unkn0wn, h0wever it is p0ssible t0 assume that given the mass 0f the planet, it w0uld have sufficient material t0 create a relatively str0ng magnetic field, but this is yet 0nly an assumpti0n. It c0uld have a magnetic field like Earths, 0nly str0nger, 0r it c0uld be weaker, 0r it c0uld have a rather unusual c0nfigurati0n like s0me 0f the 0ther planets in 0ur s0lar system ( 0ne 0f the 0uter planets, Uranus 0r Neptune I think, has a funny magnetic field).
The planet is als0, like 0ur m00n with the Earth, keeping 0ne side always facing its h0st star. Which means the weather system 0n the planet c0uld be m0re stable then here 0n Earth, but als0 restricts the surface area in which life can thrive, namely ar0und the planets Terminat0r where it receives n0t t00 little, and n0t t00 much sun year r0und.

While we sh0uldnt jump the gun 0n this 0ne yet, it is a m0ment0us 0ccasi0n f0r the field 0f planet hunting. It is s0 far the cl0sest we have c0me t0 finding an Earth-like planet, besides, u kn0w, and as time g0es 0n, we will find m0re, and as 0ur techn0l0gy advances we will be able t0 start “seeing” the planets directly, and then be able t0 make pr0per determinati0ns ab0ut the c0mp0siti0n 0f the atm0sphere. Proper analysis 0f the atm0sphere has the very real p0ssibility 0f als0 being able t0 pick up traces 0f life.

s0 in sh0rt, we have c0me a l0ng way, learned s0 much, and n0w have many m0re pieces t0 g0 bef0re we finish putting t0gether the grand puzzle 0f the Universe and 0ur very existence.