k so they've discovered like 40 planets outside our solar system with "earth like qualities" but say they are 42 light years away. (1 light year = roughly 3 trillion miles) but say they are either too cold, or too hot to inhabit life

Ok, so I have a few thoughts.
-How can we accurately measure surface temperatures of planets 42 million light years away? Honestly, how accurate are these instruments? Aside from sending a probe, as an example, the moon and testing the temperature there with the probe and the instrument to see how well it works, how do we know? Furthermore, how do we know that increased distances will not affect how the instrument reads?

-Based on what we know of life, nothing can live on those planets. Life can be sustained on Earth in the oddest of places and harshest climates. Possible life on another planet could mean a completely different base and molecular structure. Of course such reasoning would be theory, but isn't that a large part of science?

Well they can measure the surface tempurature of a planet that is 42 light years away with the same accuracy that they can tell a planet is 42 light years away.

What do you mean "Earth-like qualities"? Are you talking size or temperature?

the radius of this new super earth is about the size of uranus, only the average temp would be from 0 - 40 much like earth, and therefore H2O would be in liquid form. It orbits a star (duh) only its 14 times closer than earth is to the sun, yet the super earths star is less hot and luminous, so it evens out to a habitable place.



to give an example, to show the size difference :

. - Earth ( ) - super earth

Got any sources of info we can read regarding this?

Quote from Uncolored

k so they've discovered like 40 planets outside our solar system with "earth like qualities" but say they are 42 light years away. (1 light year = roughly 3 trillion miles) but say they are either too cold, or too hot to inhabit life

Ok, so I have a few thoughts.
-How can we accurately measure surface temperatures of planets 42 million light years away? Honestly, how accurate are these instruments? Aside from sending a probe, as an example, the moon and testing the temperature there with the probe and the instrument to see how well it works, how do we know? Furthermore, how do we know that increased distances will not affect how the instrument reads?

-Based on what we know of life, nothing can live on those planets. Life can be sustained on Earth in the oddest of places and harshest climates. Possible life on another planet could mean a completely different base and molecular structure. Of course such reasoning would be theory, but isn't that a large part of science?

We measure temperature by a great many things. It's not like we have a radioactive, wireless, long-range thermometer that does everything: a great deal of math and measurement is used, and it's extremely accurate.

@adrenaline; Its called Google, use it
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/super_earth_040825.html

I imagine life COULD be on it, much in the same way life COULD be on mars. Only its much more likely on the super earth. I've always been a believer in aliens, just not highly evolved aliens =P

Lets leave it to the astronomers shall we? Their much more highly pai- ...I mean... ...trained... <_< >_>

I didnt know Super Earth was being used universally.

Quote from Ash

We measure temperature by a great many things. It's not like we have a radioactive, wireless, long-range thermometer that does everything: a great deal of math and measurement is used, and it's extremely accurate.

You mean a satelite, like:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRAS ?

If there were life on another planet, the lifeforms on that planet would be much different and incompatable with the ones on Earth. For example the planet you explained somewhat larger than Earth which would cause the creatures there to evolve much stronger skelotens to overcome the gravity. If we were to travel there, our bodies would be crushed by the gravitational force.

Who knows, the creatures might not even breath what we know as air.

Quote from Rather Cheesy

@adrenaline; Its called Google, use it
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/super_earth_040825.html

I imagine life COULD be on it, much in the same way life COULD be on mars. Only its much more likely on the super earth. I've always been a believer in aliens, just not highly evolved aliens =P

Lets leave it to the astronomers shall we? Their much more highly pai- ...I mean... ...trained... <_< >_>

thats exactly what i believe, i believe there is life on other planets, but who says there gonna be extremely advanced? maybe to them, we are advanced. perhaps the life on Super earth, would be what we called the stone age.

And they wont be the same as us. they could be similar maybe, who knows. im just curious on how they think we will get there. 42 light years exceeds any human life span, so unless they make the first "mothership" and have men and women on the ship to reproduce until a generation will live to see the day they reach this "super earth"

I'm not sure how fast our fastest space stations can travel at, but traveling at the speed of sound will take 40,000 years to travel 1 light year.

We won't be alive to see us get over a light year away from our planet, let alone 42.

And that's when Solar Sailing comes in.

And lightspeed travel, of course.

Also, ever heard of wormholes?
That could bring us there in no-time.

Wormholes are unpredictable.

And cool.

And hard to make.