Earth-Like Planet around Proxima?

[Iroscato]

None of the above.  But the term 'Earth-like planet' drives me spare.

Boru

But surely Boru, you're excited at the prospect of an Earth-like Planet so near to us? Indeed, the chances of being able to directly study an Earth-like Planet within our lifetimes just went up dramatically, so I'm all for funding a mission to study this Earth-like Planet.

Earth-like planet.

[Anomalocaris]

Because the luminosity of star declines exponentially with star mass,  the Goldilocks zone around a dwarve star would be in a much steeper part of the parent star's gravity well than the earth is on the sun's.   So any planet in proxima centauri's Goldilocks zone won't be earth like:   It is probably tidal locked to its parent star.  One side is perpetually day, the other perpetually night.

I believe a planet in the Goldilocks zone of most K-type stars (cool, orangish stars typically half the mass of our sun) will probably be tidally locked but there is no question about it with a red dwarf. Perhaps even more significant though, that tidal effect will have all kinds of consequences on the planet's geology. I don't know if it's inevitable that the planet would end up like Jupiter's moon, Io but would think it would have to be allot more active than Earth.

Tidal locking in itself should not make the planet more geologically active, because it circularizes the planet's orbit, and diminishes the the tidal flexing the planet under goes with each orbit.   Jupiter's inner moon is more geologically active because there are other large moons in close orbit around the planet that tugs on Io and prevent its orbit from completely circularizing.

[downbeatplumb]

The goldilocks zone is not a requirement for complex life. Some of the Moons of Jupiter and Saturn have liquid water and dynamic methane cycles that could harbour life.

[Anomalocaris]

I wouldn't be sure about that. How prokaryotic cells evolved into eukaryotic cell is not well understood, and is thought to be an highly unlikely, chance event. Conditions under which that is possible is also not clearly understood. Complex life requires eukaryotic cells.

So by no means is it clear simple life anywhere has high probability of evolving into complex life.

[Minimalist]

Scientists to unveil new Earth-like planet: report

Let's hope it isn't so earth like that it has republicunts!

[Jehanne]

This is very cool news, but I've only seen it on German news sites (and I have heard rumours that they have jumped the gun a bit and published it before the agreed-upon time).
So, there could be a planet similar to earth in Proxima Centauri's Goldilocks zone. How convenient!

http://www.n-tv.de/wissen/Zweite-Erde-um...05991.html

Alex, what do you think of KIC 8462852?

[Anomalocaris]

Not the alien megastructures again.

[Jehanne]

Not the alien megastructures again.

I was interested in Alex's opinion, in particular.

[Alex K]

Not the alien megastructures again.

I was interested in Alex's opinion, in particular.

I would love to be convinced that it's Aliens. Three things seem to contradict that:

1. Even Seth Shostak doubts that it's aliens
2. My personal gut feeling is that the pattern seems a bit too erratic to be an alien mega structure
3. History tells us that whenever we thought we found little green men, it was cool new astrophysics (Pulsars anyone?)

[account_inactive]