Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

NASA announces discovery of Earth-like planet with earth similarity index 0.98

nasa.gov

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 177 posts

Re: NASA announces discovery of Earth-like planet with earth similarity index 0.98

#31

Post by panglott »

hdevalence wrote: post #28
panglott wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed, "earth similarity" should not be taken as "potential habitability", if Earth's unique geological history (the Theia collision) means that it is at the lower bound of mass for a habitable planet. Already there are super-Earths discovered. https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/2008-02

Why would the Theia collision mean that we're at the lower bound of mass for a habitable planet? What does the moon do that would be compensated for by having a larger planet?

It's not the moon itself, it's the molten core of Earth that generates the magentosphere that protects our atmosphere. A larger planet is likelier to have a molten core.

Re: NASA announces discovery of Earth-like planet with earth similarity index 0.98

#32

Post by dogma1138 »

motoboi wrote: post #30
jMyles wrote: post #29

Whenever my imagination starts to run wild with the possibility of a huge announcement of this variety, I always like to remember what Terence McKenna said about this: "if aliens were to land on the front lawn of the white house tomorrow, it would not change the fact that the weirdest thing in the universe is DMT."

Could you elaborate on what is so weird on that molecule?

It's a psychedelic type substance similar to LSD. What he meant is that the weirdest things you can ever experience is you on acid.

Re: NASA announces discovery of Earth-like planet with earth similarity index 0.98

#34

Post by alex95 »

_jomo wrote: post #27

Accessing this with HTTPS Everywhere and Firefox leads to http://www.ustream.tv/embed/9407922 being blocked, so you don't see anything other than the text. However, The stream has reached "maximum capacity" at this time.

why do you give a fuck?

Re: NASA announces discovery of Earth-like planet with earth similarity index 0.98

#35

Post by [deleted] »

jMyles wrote: post #29

Whenever my imagination starts to run wild with the possibility of a huge announcement of this variety, I always like to remember what Terence McKenna said about this: "if aliens were to land on the front lawn of the white house tomorrow, it would not change the fact that the weirdest thing in the universe is DMT."

[deleted]

Re: NASA announces discovery of Earth-like planet with earth similarity index 0.98

#37

Post by jMyles »

motoboi wrote: post #30
jMyles wrote: post #29

Whenever my imagination starts to run wild with the possibility of a huge announcement of this variety, I always like to remember what Terence McKenna said about this: "if aliens were to land on the front lawn of the white house tomorrow, it would not change the fact that the weirdest thing in the universe is DMT."

Could you elaborate on what is so weird on that molecule?

He says it in a few different ways in his lectures, but he believed that the psychedelic experience is so strange and full of content that, even if aliens landed on the White House lawn and it made the biggest story in the history of news, it's still not as astonishing as human neurochemistry.

I'm not sure I agree, but I think it's good to keep this perspective in mind any time we find ourselves tempted to think of something as 'the biggest thing ever.'

Re: NASA announces discovery of Earth-like planet with earth similarity index 0.98

#38

Post by jeletonskelly »

dr_zoidberg wrote: post #2

As of now, the content linked says nothing more than the PR announcement from yesterday -- so either the title is misleading, or the OP comes from the future. (I'm aware he might have other sources for the title, but it's still misleading)

How is this link even on the front page? There's no sauce for anything in the title unless OP works for NASA...

Re: NASA announces discovery of Earth-like planet with earth similarity index 0.98

#39

Post by mrfusion »

arethuza wrote: post #12
waterlesscloud wrote: post #7

What's an "earth similarity index"? Is there a definition somewhere?

I wanted to see the definition to find out what the values were for Venus and Mars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Similarity_Index Turns out Venus is at 0.444 and Mars is at 0.697 so 0.98 is really close.

I always thought venus was technically in the habitable zone but just has issues with runaway greenhouse. Is that incorrect?

Re: NASA announces discovery of Earth-like planet with earth similarity index 0.98

#40

Post by afarrell »

If there is life on that planet, I wonder if it would be similar enough to host infectious diseases. I know the Apollo team was quarantined when they got back from the moon. As someone living on a continent that has undergone one apocalypse, I hope we have a similar procedure to prevent the spread of spacepox.
Post reply on HN