A 'new Earth' 20.5 light years away
AN EARTH-LIKE planet which could be covered in rivers, lakes and oceans and may support life has been discovered outside the solar system.
The new world, 20.5 light years away, orbits a region with the right temperature to allow liquid water on its surface.
Scientists believe it is only one-and-a-half times larger and five times more massive than Earth, making it the smallest known extra-solar planet.
Given its size and location, it is likely to have an atmosphere. Scientists have also calculated the planet has about double the Earth's gravity. Any creatures living there would, be twice as heavy as they would be on Earth.
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Speed of light: 300,000kps approx.
Time convertion:
60sec * 60min * 24hr * 365day = 31,536,000 sec per yr approx.
Distance between planetX and earth:
300,000kps*31,536,000 s/yr * 20.5yr = 193,946,400,000,000km approx.
close to 19.4 trillion kilometers!!!!!!!!
Max speed a spacecraft can travel (as for now): 25000mph = 40,225kph approx.
Time it takes to travel:
193,946,400,000,000km / 40,225kph = 4,821,538,844 hrs
4,821,538,844 hrs = 200,897,452 days = 550,404 yrs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hypothetically, we have unlimited supply of energy during our travel. A female would give birth at her 30s in the spacecraft. Then,
550,404 yrs / 30 = 18,347 generations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We need to have 18,347 gens in order to keep the life going!!!
Given the morden technology in the world and the distance it is away from the earth, this planet is out of human's reach. We can't travel fast enough and we don't have enough fuel. Even we could make this happen, by the time we get there the plannet might have been doomed. It could be destoryed by collisions with other asteroids. How amazing our earth is still surviving today and the sun is still functioning!
When can the dream of travelling at the speed of light come true? Even if we suceed, it still takes 20.5yrs to get there! In another word, if the movement of plannets and asteroids are not stable, this earth-like plannet we observed today might not even exist at all!!
