Surprise during the Search for a Second [extrasolar] Earth (Forwarded)

Super-Earths / Gliese 581C and Gliese 581D at roughly 20 light years
away are each oddly of no interest to this Zion naysay realm, of such
a typically anti-think-tank of their MI/NSA rusemaster Usenet from
hell.

No wonder there's still no light at the end of this Zion tunnel.
-
"whoever controls the past, controls the future" / George Orwell
-
Brad Guth



On Jun 11, 8:49 pm, Andrew Yee wrote:
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Potsdam, Germany

Contact:
Werner von Bloh, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK),
Germany
phone: +49 (0)331 288 26 03

Press Office:
Uta Pohlmann, phone: +49 (0)331 288 25 07

11 June 2007

Surprise during the Search for a Second Earth

Potsdam -- A team of scientists led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate
Impact Research (PIK) investigated the habitability of the planetary
systemGliese581 in the constellation of Libra, 20 light-years away. With
the help of a model for the evolution of Earth-like planets coupled with a
climate model they were able to demonstrate habitable conditions on the
planet Gl 581d, while its smaller brother, Gl 581c, has to be classified
uninhabitable.

This contradicts the findings of another research team in April of this
year that announced Gl 581c to be the first habitable planet outside our
solar system.

The new investigations of the Potsdam scientists Werner von Bloh,
Christine Bounama and Siegfried Franck together with Manfred ****z from
the Texas University at Arlington incorporate the thermal evolution of
planets, i.e. the cooling of the planetary body from its formation and the
connected geodynamic parameters. Because of its heavy mass the Potsdam
scientists consider it likely that Gl 581c has a dense atmosphere.
Previous calculations derived the habitability of the planet only from
temperatures calculated for the radiation balance of the planetary surface
without an atmosphere.

The planetary systemGliese581 contains probably three planets orbiting a
Red Dwarf. The central star has 100 times less luminosity than our Sun.
Both planets investigated are so-called Super-Earths, i.e. planets with a
mass up to 10 times higher than that of the Earth.

Among the extrasolar planets detected so far, the planet Gl 581c, already
acclaimed by the media as a "second Earth", has the most similar
dimensions compared to Earth, because it has "only" five times its mass.
But according to the new calculations the orbit is too close to the
central star so that the surface is too hot for the evolution of life.

In contrast to previous assumptions, the environmental conditions on the
planet Gl 581d with an eight times higher mass than Earth and a more
distant orbit could allow the evolution of primitive life forms. Because
the planet always has the same side turned towards its central star -- as
the Moon does to the Earth -- the emergence of higher life forms is very
unlikely. On the day side it is probably warm, while on the night side
severe cold dominates. Nor couldGliese581d become a second home planet
for mankind because even on its sunlit side, red twilight prevails and
wild storms blow.

The search for a "second Earth" able to harbor higher life forms is
therefore still far from over. Nevertheless, a more detailed investigation
of Gl 581d would be exciting because it orbits in the habitable zone,
where the emergence of life might be possible. This planet and its
neighbors are within the range of detection of the Darwin satellite
mission planned by the Europeans for 2015, a mission designed for the
observation of extrasolar planets and the detection of life. The
Super-Earth Gl 581d should be explicitly observed as part of this
endeavor.

More information:

* Article
http://arxiv.org/abs/0705.3758v1
* Homepage of Research Project
http://www.pik-potsdam.de/PLACES