What's more awesome than discovering a temperate planet outside our solar system?

How about discovering a temperate planet outside our solar system that will actually be relatively easy to study? Spanish researchers have done just that, according to Science News. The newly spotted planet, COROT-9b, is 1,500 light years away. It isn't, itself, Earth-like—think something more akin to Jupiter or Saturn—but its atmosphere might contain water vapor, and, if it turns out to have any moons, those could be habitable. Most important, though, is the fact that researchers can actually study the thing.

Although a number of extrasolar planets with moderate temperatures have been discovered, only a planet that passes in front of -- or transits -- its star can be studied in depth. The starlight that filters through the atmosphere of the planet during each passage reveals the orb's composition, while the amount of starlight that is blocked outright indicates the planet's size.

All the other transiting planets seen so far have been "weird -- inflated and hot" because they orbit so close to their stars, notes study collaborator Didier Queloz of the Geneva Observatory in Sauverny, Switzerland. Deeg, Queloz, and their colleagues report their findings in the March 18 Nature.

Deeg, H.J. 2010A transiting giant planet with a temperature between 250K and 430K. Nature 464:384. doi:10.1038/nature08856

(Via Ecospheric blog)

Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

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speedreeder

I know what’s more awesome, finding LIFE on some other planet!
Anonymous

1,500 light years? That is depressing.

Alpha Centauri is roughly a century away at our best possible speeds at a mere 4.37ly, and it’s not even habitable. People get all excited about exoplanets, but we hardly understand our own solar system, much less things beyond it.

~D. Walker
- ZDepthCharge
  
  We are sitting at a beggars banquet. We find our data where and how we can. That is the nature of this universe. I say this because the implication of your post is that we shouldn’t even be looking, and I find that attitude to be self-defeating and silly.
- NRG
  
  1,500 light years? That is depressing.
  
  Alpha Centauri is roughly a century away at our best possible speeds at a mere 4.37ly, and it’s not even habitable. People get all excited about exoplanets, but we hardly understand our own solar system, much less things beyond it.
  
  D.W. – It’s only depressing if we’re thinking of going there. But maybe if it’s moon is habitable and inhabited by Corotians (they better get used to that name now) who are a lot more evolved than us, then maybe they could (or have already) come HERE. If not from that one, there’s still now more likelihood that there are others out there.
  
  Now that’s exciting (isn’t it?)!
- Anonymous
  
  People get all excited about exoplanets, but we hardly understand our own solar system, much less things beyond it.
  
  Of course, one of the most exciting thing about the latter is that it helps us understand the former. The types of planets that are out there, how common ones like ours are, and so forth are all important insights from exoplanet research.
ambiguous

Life would pretty awesome but just evidence for molecular oxygen (or an oxidizing atmosphere) would be pretty awesome too.
Brainspore

Has television taught us nothing? The answer to the question posed above is “finding another planet full of hot alien babes that want to have sex with us.”

(Unless by “hot” turns out to mean they have boiling acid for blood and “have sex with us” means shoving their ovipositors down our throats to lay eggs in our chests.)
- Anonymous
  
  Weyland-Yutani think they’re hot.
OrinZ

In my typical literalistic manner, I immediately answered “One in your same system! And to find that you live on it!”
NRG

Coldspell – are you a Corotian, or God?

Either way, you should be thankful that English has CAPITAL LETTERS. Otherwise, how could you EMPHASIZE YOUR POINT? (Please forgive my Earthly spunkiness, your Celestial Capitalistness…)
- Dewi Morgan
  
  He’s quoting a godlike ET, which spoke in caps. The quote is meant to be spelt in caps in this case, though small caps might’ve been suitable. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_%28film%29 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfxP2Ct9aYs
Anonymous

inb4 “its just liek avatar lol!!1″
Anonymous

I for one welcome our Corotian overlords…
Johnny Drongo

I want to go there. I’m not liking this joint wso much any more.
Dewi Morgan

Longer we look, more of these we’ll find. Only reason the ones we’ve found so far have been so close is that their orbital periods are shorter, so they transit more frequently, so we spot ‘em faster.

What’d be more awesome: well, finding one INSIDE the solar system will always be more awesome. Discoveries of water and liquids on other bodies in the solar system are always exciting.

But, yeah, we know they’re fake, really. Those dimming stars? Just God tweaking the dimmer switch.
Anonymous

What’s more awesome? Finding Dune. With giant sandworms ‘n’ shit!!!

(Well, you did ask.)
Jul210s

Garbage. Just like the inhabitable moons of Jupiter, right. This whole “discovery” shebang is not true to my thinking. Variable stars don’t necessarily mean something is passing in front of them. Great wish fulfillment of today’s “science”.
- Lobster
  
  Jul210s is right, everyone knows there are no planets outside of the Sol system. Scientists keep making them up for research funding. Just like global warming.
  
  Am I getting that about right, Jul?
  - Antinous / Moderator
    
    Scientists keep making them up for research funding.
    
    Actually it’s because they’re possessed by demons.
- Anonymous
  
  Variable stars don’t necessarily mean something is passing in front of them.
  
  Fortunately, astrophysicists figured out how to tell which ones do and which ones don’t a few decades ago.
  - Maggie Koerth-Baker
    
    LIES!
    
    Just admit it, you’re in the pocket of Big Astronomy, aren’t you?
coldspell

ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT COROT-9B. ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE. USE THEM TOGETHER. USE THEM IN PEACE.
G

Careful, we aren’t being true to Jul210s’ thinking.

So I guess this trumps Gleise 581 C and D. At least until their ships start showing up in orbit. Oh wait, here they come now..

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/asteroid-20100202.html
Anonymous

If you thought that AVATAR was just a movie, Guess again my friends. It exists out there 1,500 light years away. If you don’t think so, go there and prove me wrong. Besides those tall blue people are really nice.
Anonymous

You just know there are other planets out there. And finding them now instead of later makes sense to me. And so what if it is 1’500 light years away? Someday maybe we will break the light barrier and travel 10xC. That would get us there in 150 years. Or we could travel through a worm hole. They think that is possible. Did you know that “STAR TREK” received all or most of it’s scientific data from NASA? One time Scotty said “I, and they have ION perpulsion. They could show us a thing or two” And now we have it! Terry D
lava

cue the blue cat people