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APOD: Discovery of a Multi-planet Star System

apod.nasa.gov — How common are planetary systems like our own Solar System? In the twelve years previous to 2008, over 300 candidate planetary systems have been found orbiting nearby stars. None, however, were directly imaged, few showed evidence for multiple planets, and many had a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting inside the orbit of Mercury.

Who dugg this? Made popular Nov 18, 2008

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  • thealsir, on 11/18/2008, -2/+10"Although the HR 8799 planetary system has significant differences with our Solar System, it is a clear demonstration that complex planetary systems exists, systems that could conceivable contain an Earth-like planet."

    Getting closer to first contact by the day.
  • identitymatrix, on 11/18/2008, -1/+4I think first contact is still hundreds of years off (unless we suddenly master faster-than-light communications), but I think we could definitely observe an alien civilization within a few decades and just knowing that other intelligent civilizations exist in the universe would completely change the context of a bunch of things like religion and wars.
  • SadMartigan, on 11/25/2008, -1/+3The extra-terrestrial civilization that makes contact with us knows they will regret it. That's why they keep it a secret, so the other civilizations don't find out.

    Can you imagine being blamed for unleashing humans from the earth out into the rest of the universe?

    130 light years is one heck of a walk of shame.
  • Dinsdale77, on 11/18/2008, -1/+3I see similar images every time I stare at the sun and suddenly close my eyes.
  • atomic811, on 11/18/2008, -1/+2when I push on my eyes I travel through space.
  • TheFounder, on 11/18/2008, -3/+4My son (age 3) saw this picture and said "can we drive there" ... LOL!!

  • 3leggedHorse, on 11/18/2008, -1/+2Jesus when are people going to get over the "our planet it special syndrome".
    I would place a bet and say there are hundreds of Earth like planets in our local Stella neighborhood. Say a radius of 750 light years.
  • CloanLabs, on 11/19/2008, -0/+1These are BRILLIANT pics!
    I LOVE this site, this link, and this submission and this thread.
    And I love you guys, too!
    Fomalhaut b and all the new planets that are being discovered just fill my days with bliss now.
    So much bliss, in fact, that I have named my VERY FIRST rock'n'roll EP "Fomalhaut b" for the new planet they just discovered. The album is mostly rock, but it's also pop, and it's politics and astronauts and craziness. It is dedicated to the astronomers who discover planets, "Because astrophysicists ALSO need music to ***** to."
    It is also dedicated to Allyson Beatrice and Phil Plait, Champions Of Science.
    And if you guys love astrophysics as much as me, then hey, you can have a free copy too.
    Here's the link to my iLike page where you can just download it. You don't have to purchase anything.
    The album is music for science people who want some relevant music to play at a drunken physics party to celebrate new discoveries. You don't have to understand the words, but some of them are published in the "selected lyrics" blog on my iLike page, just look around for it. No reason astrophysicists have to stick their heads to the speaker to figure out what it is I'm singing. (That only means that "SCIENCE IS NOT BEING DONE, JACKHOLE!" --Allyson Beatrice)
    Feel free to get your free copy if you're a scientist or science enthusiast:
    http://www.ilike.com/artist/Cloan/album/Fomalhaut+ ...
    Please forward to all relevant parties.
    Thank you for your time.
    Get back to work, Genius.
  • spect3r, on 11/18/2008, -1/+2Darn. I was hoping it was in 64 bit :(
  • bkandah, on 02/22/2009, -0/+0I know where fomalhaut is, but where is HR8799. Does anyone have any idea. I have read it is a 6th mag star. What const. or RA-DEC.
  • badgerfight, on 11/18/2008, -2/+1Earth isn't the only one?!??!
  • inactive, on 11/18/2008, -2/+1
    "space........the final frontier...................."


    Get ready folks, time to explore strange new worlds!!!
  • DaviDTC, on 11/18/2008, -5/+2Being able to view a planet 130 light years away doesn't mean anything with contact. In fact if we ever do have contact it will probably be from some planet we never knew of.

    But I guess it is also nice to know that we aren't going back in time...
  • mindracer, on 11/18/2008, -7/+1god created them all in 7 days
  • Dokebilee, on 11/18/2008, -7/+0poop

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