1. catdynamics
  2. told you so

told you so

By catdynamics on April 25, 2007.

earlier this year I was a co-author on a paper which, among other things, attempted to "predict" which of the currently known planetary systems we might expect to find future planets in the habitable zones - specifically terrestrial or "super Earth" planets.

Gliese 581 was on our list (p. 33)

I like it.

Tags
astro

More like this

Exotic Earths
More than one-third of the giant planet systems recently detected outside our solar system may harbor Earth-like planets, according to a new study by scientists associated with NASA's Astrobiology Institute. Many of these planets may be covered in deep global oceans, with abundant potential for…
Super Earth
Of course, you've already heard. A team of European astronomers have discovered a planet five times as massive as the Earth orbiting a distant, dim red star known as Gliese 581. I've already started lamenting the proto-future, the first contact with extraterrestrial life, that I imagine my…
Planet in the Zone (Breaks Embargo)
The Swiss-French planet hunter team have a new interesting discovery. A low mass "super Earth" in a potential habitable zone. Nature news story UPDATE: Details are up on the Extrasolar Planet Encyclopedia and Udry's web page and here is the actual preprint (PDF) Hm, interesting, the full solution…
The big difference between 'Habitable' and 'Inhabited'
“Next to reasoning, the greatest handicap to the optimum development of Man lies in the fact that this planet is just barely habitable. Its minimum temperatures are too low, and its maximum temperatures too high. Its day is not long enough, and its night is too long... These factors encourage…

IF the gravity if 5x that of Earth, does that increase the temperature at the surface?

The gravity does not scale just with mass but also with the inverse square of the radius.
We don't know what the planet is made of, but for plausible compositions you infer a surface gravity of maybe 50-70% higher than the Earth.

All things being equal that'd give you a deeper, higher atmospheric pressure at the surface, which could give you a higher effective surface temperature. Kinda depends on a lot of things.

Thanks! I was telling people I'd weigh 750 pounds on that planet, but I could probably stagger along at 300. Briefly.