Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Bryan See on August 24, 2016, 09:09:32 pm

Title: A closest exoplanet found
Post by: Bryan See on August 24, 2016, 09:09:32 pm
Since the first discovery of the first exoplanet, which found orbiting in the star, 51 Pegasi, I would like to inform all of you that there's a discovered exoplanet found in the closest star to our own: Proxima Centauri.

Here is the article on CNN.com (http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/24/health/proxima-b-centauri-rocky-planet-habitable-zone-neighbor-star/) and the video below.

Title: Re: A closest exoplanet found
Post by: Luis Dias on August 25, 2016, 04:40:25 am
really cool
Title: Re: A closest exoplanet found
Post by: Goober5000 on August 25, 2016, 11:47:41 am
That video is awesome.  It evokes the sense of a command briefing animation.

(The news is pretty cool too.)
Title: Re: A closest exoplanet found
Post by: The E on August 25, 2016, 12:00:11 pm
those among us who have read Three Body Problem may now commence panicking quietly.
Title: Re: A closest exoplanet found
Post by: NGTM-1R on August 25, 2016, 02:37:08 pm
those among us who have read Three Body Problem may now commence panicking quietly.

Personally, I think what we need to do is build a ship, staff it with a bunch of people with mutually contradictory ideas, have the captain get assassinated, and then let them thunderdome it out while hoping they don't get eaten by Mindworms.

Title: Re: A closest exoplanet found
Post by: MP-Ryan on August 25, 2016, 09:20:35 pm
Race you there.  If we can hitch a ride on something about as fast as Solar Probe Plus, see you in a little over 6000 years.

To quote the authors of The Expanse series:  Space is too damn big.
Title: Re: A closest exoplanet found
Post by: Scourge of Ages on August 25, 2016, 11:00:30 pm
To quote the authors of The Expanse series:  Space is too damn big.

And to quote Douglas Adams: "Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is."
Title: Re: A closest exoplanet found
Post by: Luis Dias on August 26, 2016, 06:01:19 am
Isn't proxima the target of those small thousand drone sail ships they are currently prototyping and getting funds to produce and launch?
Title: Re: A closest exoplanet found
Post by: Hellstryker on August 27, 2016, 04:30:32 am
Technically that's Alpha Centauri but I'd be very surprised if they haven't decided on a new course for them already.
Title: Re: A closest exoplanet found
Post by: Bryan See on August 27, 2016, 06:45:52 am
Did you know Russian billionaire Yury Milner is going to launch a project to explore Proxima Centauri or Alpha Centauri or both nearests stars to Earth?
Title: Re: A closest exoplanet found
Post by: Phantom Hoover on August 27, 2016, 07:22:51 am
the advantage of the russians doing it is that if they send their immortal Academy of Scientists then they don't have to faff about with cryogenics or generation ships
Title: Re: A closest exoplanet found
Post by: Bryan See on August 27, 2016, 09:03:55 am
Or we could do it ourselves, in our own, libre, open source, and DIY way. The Libre Space Foundation (https://librespacefoundation.org/) is a good place to start.