Scientists Find Jumbo Earth-Sized Planet That May Be Close Enough to Detect Life

Scientists have found a planet the size of a jumbo Earth circling a nearby star, meaning it is one of the handful of worlds where astronomers' sensors might be powerful enough to detect signs of life.

The new planet, known as LHS 1140b, receives enough starlight to allow for liquid water, a prerequisite for life on Earth. It lies 39 light years from our solar system — not exactly in the backyard, but close enough that telescopes now under construction may be able to spot oxygen molecules swarming around it.

“With this discovery we have a world similar to Earth in some aspects, and dissimilar in some others,” says Amaury Triaud of Britain’s University of Cambridge, who was not involved with the research. “This is quite thrilling.”

The first subtle signs of the planet’s presence were recorded in 2014, but no one noticed until Jason Dittmann, then at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, re-analyzed the data. “It turns out it was lurking there all along,” says Dittmann, now at MIT.

New super-sized Earth may be close enough to detect signs of life

It is only a matter of time before we either detect or are confronted with extra-terrestrial life.

It is only a matter of time before we either detect or are confronted with extra-terrestrial life.

There is absolutely no doubt about it. If not in my lifetime, in our kids' or grandkids' .

telescopes now under construction may be able to spot oxygen molecules swarming around it.

I bought a telescope at a local auction last night for three bucks. I'm guessing it won't spot those molecules.

It is only a matter of time before we either detect or are confronted with extra-terrestrial life.

It is only a matter of time before we either detect or are confronted with extra-terrestrial life.

Getslow's already here.

telescopes now under construction may be able to spot oxygen molecules swarming around it.

I bought a telescope at a local auction last night for three bucks. I'm guessing it won't spot those molecules.

You'll be lucky to spot the KFC down the road with it.

Getslow's already here.

Can't deal with you. Trying to determine how much I hate the phrase "size of a jumbo Earth". If it's massively larger, then it ain't the size of Earth, is it? MSN needs some copy editors.

Now did you say something, kiddo?

Can't deal with you. Trying to determine how much I hate the phrase "size of a jumbo Earth". If it's massively larger, then it ain't the size of Earth, is it? MSN needs some copy editors.

 

Now did you say something, kiddo?

Can you imagine the gravity on that planet? I bet everyone is short and stubby.

It is only a matter of time before we either detect or are confronted with extra-terrestrial life.

The Vulcans are just waiting for us to become warp capable.

Can you imagine the gravity on that planet? I bet everyone is short and stubby.

So you're saying Randy would fit right in?

Can't deal with you. Trying to determine how much I hate the phrase "size of a jumbo Earth". If it's massively larger, then it ain't the size of Earth, is it? MSN needs some copy editors.

 

Now did you say something, kiddo?

My thought exactly...about the phrase, not RP!

Is Jumbo Earth flat too?

Is Jumbo Earth flat too?

Kyrie says yes.

It is only a matter of time before we either detect or are confronted with extra-terrestrial life.

I agree on the detection. Not certain about the confronting.

There's still a lot of distance between earth and the stars. In the case of this one, at 39 light years, the fastest spacecraft we have is the vehicle they sent to Pluto and beyond. It speeds along at 32,000 mph. At that rate it would take 817,000 years to get to this star system, and of course the same number of years to return to their home. Converted from 39 light years it's equal to 229 trillion miles. And that's actually a very close star to the earth when considering the size of our galaxy and the rest of the universe.

However, superior intelligence may have a method that could do it in a jiffy, but one has to use a lot of fantasy imagination and Star Wars movie terminology to make it work.