Hey all Earthians out there the latest buzz doing the round is that probably we’ve got a neighbor in the galaxy. The indomitable spirit of our
scientists has done it. The search for life in the big old Universe has got its stepping stone. The telescope of the European Southern Observatory at La Silla in Chile has spotted the latest planet, which could probably boast of containing water just like our very own Earth. The planet, which is, called
GL 581c also promises of a temperature (0degree C-40degrees C) most favorable for sustaining life. So could we say that we might at some point at the turn of the century play host to an ET? The way things are shaping up nothing is impossible. The search though is a historical turning point is not a miraculous one. Our scientists have always claimed that if
Earth could exist, one or more than one planets from diverse stellar constitutions could platform life too. But there is a possible heartbreak for all the globe and potential space trotters. One cannot simply take a short trip to our neighbor
planet and the constraint is not money but time. As it is some 20.5 light years (190 trillion kilometers) away from Earth one trip to it would take as many number of years to reach it. We’ll have to wait till an ultra supersonic spacecraft is made to bring the journey down to a matter of some days. Even if one reaches there it would be a futile endeavor if the planet shows no sign of life and this is what the scientists couldn’t guarantee so far. Theoretically GL581c has potential to cradle life and the scientists are in pursuit of real evidence. Based on the
theories scientists have assumed that the
surface might be rocky and ocean-covered like Earth with a diameter 1.5 times broader than the Earth and a gravity 1.6 times that of Earth’s. So those who stay put with a stingy diet shouldn’t venture on a mission to GL581c. But the one disheartening fact that might hurl cold water on the thrill is that the theories cannot do away with the possibility of the planet being frozen to the hilt. Like Earth the planet too encircles a
sun called Gliese 581, which is one of the red dwarf stars that lay in the vicinity of the Earth. As Apollo is unbeatable so is our Sun for Gliese581 has neither the energy capacity nor the powerful heat radiation to equal Sun. The Red Dwarf stars however have a greater longevity than the Sun. But the most interesting fact about GL581c is that it takes only 13 earth days to complete its revolution round its sun. Its scary to imagine what one’s age would be over there. As it is 14 times closer to its sun than Earth is to her, the horizon of GL581c would show a sun 20 times the size of our moon. The three things that the scientists are yet to seek and confirm about GL581c are the existence of life, sign and nature of rotation (if there is any) and what lay beneath the thick atmosphere (indication of a hot surface temperature). Let the scientists do their work but if one sees a UFO at his backyard he knows where it comes from.
More abstracts about the Another Earth Calling