Super Earth in our System?

[M.D. Holloway]

Scientists discover a new planet they’ve deemed as a Super Earth in our solar system | Nerd Reactor

is it possible?

[island911]

Is it April already?

[wdfifteen]

"... because humans by default are curious by nature."

OK, which is it?

[doug_porsche]

I am confused, not a new thing.

As per JPL: "Our Solar System consists of our star, the Sun, and its orbiting planets (including Earth), along with numerous moons, asteroids, comet material, rocks, and dust." (Night Sky Network | Solar System, Galaxy, Universe:
What's the Difference?)

So they are saying this planet is orbiting our sun and is 300AU away? (approx
27,886,742,180 miles)

wow

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by M.D. Holloway

Scientists discover a new planet they’ve deemed as a Super Earth in our solar system | Nerd Reactor

is it possible?

Is what possible? Remember "there are billions of planets out there".

The trick is can it support life (I'm guessing that is your question)?

I know the science guys will start in with "well, it won't be life as we know it"

Lot of factors to a planet that can support life "as we now it"
Certain chemicals have to be present.
Temperatures, Radiation levels, atmospheres are some of the first things on the check list when looking for a planet that can support life.

[nota]

looks like the page is GONE

MAYBE THE PLANET TOO

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by nota

looks like the page is GONE

MAYBE THE PLANET TOO

Can't determine size. Forbe's link says it may be smaller than Pluto.

Object discovered in our outer solar system could be a new planet | MNN - Mother Nature Network

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally Posted by nota

looks like the page is GONE

MAYBE THE PLANET TOO

Here is the article...

Scientists discover a new planet they’ve deemed as a Super Earth in our solar system
Read more at http://nerdreactor.com/2015/12/11/scientists-discover-a-new-planet-theyve-deemed-as-a-super-earth-in-our-solar-system/#DxM6bO8CqAQ3gF2U.99

With our recent exploration of Mars, we still haven’t scratched the surface of our known universe. In fact, the Moon is the only planetary body that humans have actually set foot on. That accomplishment during the 1960s is something that we’re all proud of because humans by default are curious by nature. Ancient historical figures stood against the criticism of their peers just to sail into the beyond to prove our planet is not flat. Our planet is almost completely explored, with the exception of our oceans, and it looks like scientists are reaching further into the depths of space.Scientists recently discovered a planet in the Alpha Centauri system that they’ve deemed as a “Super Earth”. Here’s what said about this discovery.


Astronomers using data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have found a distant object in the direction of Alpha Centauri. The object appears to be in the outer region of our solar system, and depending on its distance could be a hypothesized ”super-Earth.”

In 2014, ALMA found a faint object in the direction of Alpha Centauri A & B. The object was again observed in May of this year, this time more clearly. Given that the object is within a few arcseconds of the Alpha Centauri system, it would seem reasonable to presume that it could be part of that system, possibly gravitationally bound as Alpha Centauri D. The Centauri system is about 4 light years away, and at that distance (given the object’s brightness at submillimeter wavelengths) it would have to be a red dwarf star. But such a star would also be clearly visible in the infrared, so if this object is Alpha Centauri D we should have seen it long ago.

Another possibility (which seems more likely to the object’s discoverers) is that it is about 300 AU away and about 1.5 times the size of Earth, making it the first “super-Earth” found in our solar system.


image: http://nerdreactor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/superearth1-800x456.png?394dcb
superearth1
This new is actually pretty exciting since this planet is within our solar system. Of course, the fact that it’s 4 light years away might be a problem, but put it in this perspective: When Magellan, Sir Francis Drake, and Columbus, sailed their ships into the watery unknown, they didn’t know what they would find; however their discoveries have helped to shape the world as it is now. Imagine the possibilities of humans finally being able to traverse into the blackness of space towards this “super earth” or other earthen-like planets to see what life are on those planets. I think that would be both exciting and scary at the same time because we would see creatures that are not native to what we’ve seen here on earth.


image: http://nerdreactor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Alien1-800x518.jpg?394dcb
Alien1
Picture by: http://orig15.deviantart.net/bcb5/f/2010/230/4/c/bullmonkey_by_kineticflow.jpg

Before we jump on whatever creatures live on those planets, I want you to first think about our warning labels here on earth. Those warning labels and signs were created because some poor unfortunate soul decided to drink the bleach or pet the friendly alligator in the water. Well, the first explorers are going to have to witness and then deal with unknown creatures that like on an alien planet. Finding new life and a new world to live is absolutely exciting to me, being killed by a random unknown insect bite or being eaten alive by an actual Sarlacc Pit is not. Whatever happens in the future, let’s hope we don’t destroy our current planet just to get to the new one.

Read more at http://nerdreactor.com/2015/12/11/scientists-discover-a-new-planet-theyve-deemed-as-a-super-earth-in-our-solar-system/#DxM6bO8CqAQ3gF2U.99

[onewhippedpuppy]

Dear God that gave me a headache. Seriously, was that written for a 6th grade science class?

[M.D. Holloway]

Something else I came across...

If the Sun is an inch, the Earth is the width of a strand of hair, and the nearest star is thousands of miles away.

Space: the biggest thing there is, at least in our universe. Douglas Adams, in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, once wrote, "Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is." But to give a sense of just how big it is, the Exploratrium put together this handy tool to help you make the most accurate solar system possible, utilizing the nine classical planets. So yes, Pluto ekes by. For today.
Even with the sun at six inches, only Jupiter and Saturn make it to even half an inch in diameter, and the inner planets are all less than 2 millimeters, with Mercury, Mars, and Pluto all less than 1 millimeter in diameter. And you couldn't put their orbits to scale in your living room, as Earth is 53 feet away from the Sun, and Pluto is 2,124 feet away. Oh, and if you want to make it our stellar neighborhood, the Alpha Centauri system is 2,748 miles away. And if the sun is six inches, the giant star Betelgeuse is 187.5 feet in diameter.

To even get the Earth to just one inch in diameter, you need a 110 inch diameter sun, or just over nine feet. Jupiter would be just shy of a foot wide, and just under a mile away. Even then, Pluto is just 1/10th of an inch in diameter, and 7.4 miles away. Alpha Centauri? It's 50,386 miles away. You'd have to go to Saturn, find a way to keep your model Sun in place, then zip around 71.4 percent of the planet to put your model of Alpha Centauri. Or you could just place the sun on Earth and Alpha Centauri at 1/5th of the way to the moon.

[Nostril Cheese]

[sc_rufctr]

Excellent video. Thanks

[GH85Carrera]

One of the reasons Pluto was demoted to a non planet is there are over 1,500 objects out in the solar system that are as big or bigger. Our moon is 1/6th the size of the earth. Pluto is 1/6 the size of our moon. It is tiny.

When I was a kid we had to remember the names of the planets, all 9 of them. It would be a real challenge to remember all 1,500 of them.

[dienstuhr]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Dear God that gave me a headache. Seriously, was that written for a 6th grade science class?

More like "written by a sixth grader."

Terrible.

[Amail]

Super-Earth? How can anyone consider this something like earth? Pluto is around 40 AU from the sun, this thing is more than seven times that distance. There wouldn't be any sunlight to speak of that far out, no warmth. Unless I'm missing something, this just sounds like some kind of click bait!

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by Amail

Super-Earth? How can anyone consider this something like earth? Pluto is around 40 AU from the sun, this thing is more than seven times that distance. There wouldn't be any sunlight to speak of that far out, no warmth. Unless I'm missing something, this just sounds like some kind of click bait!

Well, "super-earth" is a well established term to describe a rocky planet slightly larger than Earth. Once you get a few times larger, the structure starts to change and it's no longer an "iron core, mantle, crust" style planet anymore.

So, no, not click bait at all. Just a poorly written article which involves a scientist who probably leaked an initial measurement too soon.

[Amail]

I'd never heard the term "super-earth" before. Guess my lack of planetary terminology chops is showing!

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by Amail

I'd never heard the term "super-earth" before. Guess my lack of planetary terminology chops is showing!

I was in that field, it wouldn't be something discussed on the Today show or anything. I can see the misunderstanding of "super", which doesn't mean "glorious" in this case, but "large".

[scottmandue]

I'm holding out for the super-duper earth!

[Amail]

Maybe a Triple Dog-Dare earth!