We have found our new home planet

[FourWheelDrift]

When this one has been used up.

A temperate Earth-sized planet has been discovered only 11 light-years from the Solar System by a team using ESO’s unique planet-hunting HARPS instrument. The new world has the designation Ross 128 b and is now the second-closest temperate planet to be detected after Proxima b. It is also the closest planet to be discovered orbiting an inactive red dwarf star, which may increase the likelihood that this planet could potentially sustain life.

http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1736/

[NDA]

That's only 65 trillion miles away.... that's 409,000 years at Space Shuttle speed (at 18,000mph).

Will I need to pack my jimjams?

ETA I would need 21.2 million pairs of underpants.

[FourWheelDrift]

And in only 79,000 years it'll be our closest exoplanet. I can't wait

[Eric Mc]

Sounds like it is close enough to its parent star for it to be tidally locked.

[Simpo Two]

Except we haven't got past Earth orbit since 1972, 45 years ago.

Mobile phone app anyone?

[durbster]

NDA said:

That's only 65 trillion miles away.... that's 409,000 years at Space Shuttle speed (at 18,000mph).

Will I need to pack my jimjams?

ETA I would need 21.2 million pairs of underpants.

Let's be honest, it's Mars or nothing isn't it.

[NDA]

durbster said:

Let's be honest, it's Mars or nothing isn't it.

Yup.

It's mildly depressing.

I often muse about our tiny world and the idiots in charge - the tribes led by Putin, Trump, Kim JI etc. Our tiny blue drop of liquid...

We've come so far in a short space of time - from dinosaurs to sending our machines around distant planets - in a matter of galactic minutes.

But I doubt humans will ever travel to a new planet outside our own solar system - it's would take over 70,000 years to reach the nearest star.

Back to my slice of toast.

[FourWheelDrift]

Don't worry as soon as Elon Musk flies his first warp speed spacecraft the Vulcan's will appear and the whole universe will be at our disposal.





I might be confusing this with a film.