Scientists have found the oldest known Earth-sized planet in the Milky Way

A team of researchers has found what they believed is the oldest Earth-sized planet in the Milky Way, orbiting a star around 117 light-years away.

The star system, known as KOI-3158, was observed by NASA’s Kepler telescope, and contains five planets similar in size to Earth, with K3158.05 being the closest to our home planet.

Interestingly, the star system is estimated to be around 11.2 billion years old (give or take 900 million years) – this makes it the oldest system known to contain Earth-sized planets in our galaxy, and suggests that Earth-like planets formed throughout the history of the Universe.

What does the subject have to do with the heading?

The Rev Dodgson said:

What does the subject have to do with the heading?

It should have been “higher chances for life than previously estimated”.

Postpocelipse said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

What does the subject have to do with the heading?

It should have been “higher chances for life than previously estimated”.

Same question.

It is highly probable that there are more Earth sized planets than observations to date would suggest, because big planets are easier to see.

But what does this have to do with estimations of the probability of life?

more life = more estimates

The Rev Dodgson said:

Postpocelipse said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

What does the subject have to do with the heading?

It should have been “higher chances for life than previously estimated”.

Same question.

It is highly probable that there are more Earth sized planets than observations to date would suggest, because big planets are easier to see.

But what does this have to do with estimations of the probability of life?

from the article….

To put that into perspective, our own Solar System is only thought to be less than 5 billion years old.

But what the scientists find most interesting is that the star in KOI-3158 is iron-poor. This is surprising, as most stars hosting small, Earth-sized planets are rich in metals, and this was thought to be one of the criteria needed for “sweet spot” planets to form.

“That implies that Earth-sized planets may have readily formed at earlier epochs in the Universe’s history when metals were more scarce,” said Tiago Campante, an asteroseismologist from the University of Birmingham in the Uk who led the research, in a talk given at a symposium in France in July.

“KOI-3158, a system of terrestrial-sized planets, formed when the Universe was less than 20 percent of its current age, so that suggests that Earth-sized planets may have formed throughout most of the Universe’s history, leaving open the possibility for the existence of ancient life in the galaxy.”

the title was intended to refer to the notion that life on Earth is abbherational in the universe…..

I’ve never considered life to be plausible.

If, somehow, you’d been able to tell me before i was born that this is how it’d be, i’d have thought you were talking through your hat.

Does entropy ensure life develops?

Postpocelipse said:

Does entropy ensure life develops?

No .

Dropbear said:

Postpocelipse said:

Does entropy ensure life develops?

No .

Answers without explanation will not be accepted……….

Given that so far we only have evidence of abiogenesis having occurred once, you can hardly say life is inevitable

Dropbear said:

Given that so far we only have evidence of abiogenesis having occurred once, you can hardly say life is inevitable

I wasn’t. I was asking if the nature of entropy lends an inevitability to life forming. An acceptable answer would require reference to chemistry not incomplete statistical probability.

Postpocelipse said:

Dropbear said:

Given that so far we only have evidence of abiogenesis having occurred once, you can hardly say life is inevitable

I wasn’t. I was asking if the nature of entropy lends an inevitability to life forming. An acceptable answer would require reference to chemistry not incomplete statistical probability.

You’re stating the hypothesis you provide a working mechanism and some evidence. That’s how science werks

Dropbear said:

Postpocelipse said:

Dropbear said:

Given that so far we only have evidence of abiogenesis having occurred once, you can hardly say life is inevitable

I wasn’t. I was asking if the nature of entropy lends an inevitability to life forming. An acceptable answer would require reference to chemistry not incomplete statistical probability.

You’re stating the hypothesis you provide a working mechanism and some evidence. That’s how science werks

The mechanism I provided is entropy. This is a built in equilibrating influence without which life would be impossible. I would require greater experience on the subject to illustrate entropy as making life inevitable, which is why I asked. Your requirements had been provided. Do you attempt to talk down to others in forms other than internet? Pretty childish.

I’m not talking down at all, should I have meant to be rude, or abusive, it would be quite clear..

Dropbear said:

I’m not talking down at all, should I have meant to be rude, or abusive, it would be quite clear..

Just a natural at it huh?

Postpocelipse said:

Dropbear said:

I’m not talking down at all, should I have meant to be rude, or abusive, it would be quite clear..

Just a natural at it huh?

Stop it, I’m blushing

Dropbear said:

Postpocelipse said:

Dropbear said:

I’m not talking down at all, should I have meant to be rude, or abusive, it would be quite clear..

Just a natural at it huh?

Stop it, I’m blushing

You should.

SCIENCE said:

more life = more estimates

ROFL

I agree with Rev

Life seems reasonably plausible this end.

Bubblecar said:

Life seems reasonably plausible this end.

But is it feasible?

Greetings on the first morning of the new year. Some loon set of fireworks at 11pm, but I did not hear any gun shots this year. Apparently it is a traditional thing for midnight on NY….to shoot at the night sky.

Good! I started the year off on a derpy moment! That should’ve been in chat.

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Life seems reasonably plausible this end.

But is it feasible?

Seems to have held its value for the last 3.8 billion years, but whether it will outperform bitcoin is anyone’s guess.

Postpocelipse said:

Scientists have found the oldest known Earth-sized planet in the Milky Way

A team of researchers has found what they believed is the oldest Earth-sized planet in the Milky Way, orbiting a star around 117 light-years away.

The star system, known as KOI-3158, was observed by NASA’s Kepler telescope, and contains five planets similar in size to Earth, with K3158.05 being the closest to our home planet.

Interestingly, the star system is estimated to be around 11.2 billion years old (give or take 900 million years) – this makes it the oldest system known to contain Earth-sized planets in our galaxy, and suggests that Earth-like planets formed throughout the history of the Universe.

Earth-sized does not mean either Earth-like or habitable. Almost all the Earth-sized planets discovered by Kepler have an orbit closer to their star closer than Mercury is to the Sun, with temperatures to match. I know of no Earth-sized planets discovered by Kepler that are in an Earth-distance orbit, and even those further from their Star than Mercury is from the Sun are far more likely to be in a highly eccentric elliptical orbit than a circular one. Chance of water-based life on any of those is zero.

And that’s even before taking into account the mind-bogglingly low probability of building a complete life-like metabolic system from raw materials.

mollwollfumble said:

And that’s even before taking into account the mind-bogglingly low probability of building a complete life-like metabolic system from raw materials.

Finding earth sized planets from 2 billion years after BB represents a significant increase in probability throughout the universe to previous estimates.In an infinitte universe the likelihood of complex life to have evolved long before ours is seemingly inevitable. The chance of highly evolved life with significantly advanced technology now falls into the realm of genuinely plausible surely?

interesting…

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