Meet the Sun’s new neighbors

"Today, an astronomer announced that
by scanning archival images dating back
to 1978, he has located a binary star
system only 6.5 light years from Earth.
This is close enough that it qualifies as
the third-closest star system to our Solar
System. The system is composed of two
brown dwarfs orbiting each other with a
period of about 25 years."

See:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/...new-neighbors/

In article 2990fb15-6884-4e66-b37c-266e8046d3e0
@mz7g2000pbb.googlegroups.com, says...

"Today, an astronomer announced that
by scanning archival images dating back
to 1978, he has located a binary star
system only 6.5 light years from Earth.
This is close enough that it qualifies as
the third-closest star system to our Solar
System. The system is composed of two
brown dwarfs orbiting each other with a
period of about 25 years."

See:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/...new-neighbors/

Quite an impressive find.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

On Mar 12, 4:11*pm, Jeff Findley wrote:
In article 2990fb15-6884-4e66-b37c-266e8046d3e0
@mz7g2000pbb.googlegroups.com, says...



"Today, an astronomer announced that
by scanning archival images dating back
to 1978, he has located a binary star
system only 6.5 light years from Earth.
This is close enough that it qualifies as
the third-closest star system to our Solar
System. The system is composed of two
brown dwarfs orbiting each other with a
period of about 25 years."

See:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/...new-neighbors/

Quite an impressive find.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

lets send a unmanned craft with a rover perhaps? wonder how long it
would take to get their using say a oversized nuclear engine?

"bob haller" wrote in message
...

On Mar 12, 4:11 pm, Jeff Findley wrote:
In article 2990fb15-6884-4e66-b37c-266e8046d3e0
@mz7g2000pbb.googlegroups.com, says...



"Today, an astronomer announced that
by scanning archival images dating back
to 1978, he has located a binary star
system only 6.5 light years from Earth.
This is close enough that it qualifies as
the third-closest star system to our Solar
System. The system is composed of two
brown dwarfs orbiting each other with a
period of about 25 years."

See:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/...new-neighbors/

Quite an impressive find.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

lets send a unmanned craft with a rover perhaps? wonder how long it
would take to get their using say a oversized nuclear engine?

Seriously Bob? Seriously?

Let's see. Even if we could get to .1c (hint we can't come close yet) it
would take.. oh gee.. about 65 years to get there assuming we reach .1c
instantly.

As for rover.. for what? Landing on the brown dwarf? Oh, I know, we can
land at night!




--
Greg D. Moore http://greenmountainsoftware.wordpress.com/
CEO QuiCR: Quick, Crowdsourced Responses. http://www.quicr.net

In article b4fe9512-8852-4c13-aa25-2fb30e980181
@y4g2000yqa.googlegroups.com, says...

On Mar 12, 4:11*pm, Jeff Findley wrote:
In article 2990fb15-6884-4e66-b37c-266e8046d3e0
@mz7g2000pbb.googlegroups.com, says...



"Today, an astronomer announced that
by scanning archival images dating back
to 1978, he has located a binary star
system only 6.5 light years from Earth.
This is close enough that it qualifies as
the third-closest star system to our Solar
System. The system is composed of two
brown dwarfs orbiting each other with a
period of about 25 years."

See:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/...new-neighbors/

Quite an impressive find.

lets send a unmanned craft with a rover perhaps? wonder how long it
would take to get their using say a oversized nuclear engine?

No such engine exists.

As for theoretical engines, it would be easy enough to do the math given
the papers already written on such a mission to other, similar,
destinations.

As for sending a rover, that depends on how hot the brown dwarf is. Not
long ago a "room temperature" brown dwarf was discovered about 9 light
years away.

Room-temperature brown dwarf spied just 9 light-years off
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/24/y_dwarfs/

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

On Wednesday, March 13, 2013 8:26:26 AM UTC-7, bob haller wrote:
On Mar 12, 4:11*pm, Jeff Findley wrote:

In article 2990fb15-6884-4e66-b37c-266e8046d3e0

@mz7g2000pbb.googlegroups.com, says...







"Today, an astronomer announced that

by scanning archival images dating back

to 1978, he has located a binary star

system only 6.5 light years from Earth.

This is close enough that it qualifies as

the third-closest star system to our Solar

System. The system is composed of two

brown dwarfs orbiting each other with a

period of about 25 years."



See:



http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/...new-neighbors/



Quite an impressive find.



Jeff

--

"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would

magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper

than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in

and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer



lets send a unmanned craft with a rover perhaps? wonder how long it

would take to get their using say a oversized nuclear engine?

Lets take a look thru every larger telescopes, first.

We don't have undersized nuclear engines yet.............Trig

In article ,
says...

On Wednesday, March 13, 2013 8:26:26 AM UTC-7, bob haller wrote:

lets send a unmanned craft with a rover perhaps? wonder how long it

would take to get their using say a oversized nuclear engine?

Lets take a look thru every larger telescopes, first.

That's how it was discovered, but at the distances we're talking about,
it's not like you can resolve any details.

We don't have undersized nuclear engines yet.............Trig

That was my point.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

On Thursday, March 14, 2013 5:50:32 AM UTC-7, Jeff Findley wrote:
In article ,

says...



On Wednesday, March 13, 2013 8:26:26 AM UTC-7, bob haller wrote:



lets send a unmanned craft with a rover perhaps? wonder how long it



would take to get their using say a oversized nuclear engine?



Lets take a look thru every larger telescopes, first.



That's how it was discovered, but at the distances we're talking about,

it's not like you can resolve any details.



We don't have undersized nuclear engines yet.............Trig



That was my point.



Jeff

--

"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would

magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper

than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in

and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

It seems to me before a society/nation sends a planetary lander with a
rover, there needs to some chance of solid ground.

It does raise in my few brain cells the question as to what
could be resolved with practical or semi-practical space telescope.
I mean something well beyond Hubble.

Clouds and continents of exoplanets within a 100 light years? Points
of light around the star? Points of infrared?


The probe will take generations and with my luck
someone would get there before my probe....................Trig

In article ,
says...

On Thursday, March 14, 2013 5:50:32 AM UTC-7, Jeff Findley wrote:
In article ,

says...



On Wednesday, March 13, 2013 8:26:26 AM UTC-7, bob haller wrote:



lets send a unmanned craft with a rover perhaps? wonder how long it



would take to get their using say a oversized nuclear engine?



Lets take a look thru every larger telescopes, first.



That's how it was discovered, but at the distances we're talking about,

it's not like you can resolve any details.



We don't have undersized nuclear engines yet.............Trig



That was my point.



Jeff

--

"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would

magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper

than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in

and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

It seems to me before a society/nation sends a planetary lander with a
rover, there needs to some chance of solid ground.

True. Considering these are brown dwarf stars, it's not likely a lander
or rover would be useful to explore them. If it's cool enough, an
atmospheric probe would be useful. If memory serves, we've done those
in our own solar system with at least one of the gas giants.

Huygens was an atmospheric entry probe carried to Saturn's moon Titan as
part of the Cassini?Huygens mission...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huygens_%28spacecraft%29

It does raise in my few brain cells the question as to what
could be resolved with practical or semi-practical space telescope.
I mean something well beyond Hubble.

Clouds and continents of exoplanets within a 100 light years? Points
of light around the star? Points of infrared?

We were talking about the discovery of a brown dwarf binary star 6.5
light years from earth.

The probe will take generations and with my luck
someone would get there before my probe....................Trig

O.k...

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer