NASA announces discovery of 2nd earth in deep earth

While this is exciting and reaffirms the belief that there is sentient life elsewhere in the universe, I think we should proceed with caution. That life is likely far more intelligent/powerful than we are. They could be benevolent or wish to enslave or destroy the entire human species.

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-07/23/nasa-announces-earth-exoplanet

I think the possibility of us being alone in the universe is as small as small gets. Somewhere, somebody is looking for us, just as much as we are looking for them.

I'm super excited about all the earth like planets that are being discovered and will continue to be discovered. It's just a matter of time before we find a planet that "seems" to be almost-exactly like our own. It'll be about the same size, about the same distance from a sun that's the same size and age as our own. It'll spin just like ours and for all intents and purposes it will be the real Earth 2.0.

What sucks is that as much as we can "kinda" see these planets and guestimate what they are like there really is no way for us to actually go and have a look. Even less way if we want to do it respectfully of a civilisation that COULD exist on the planet.

It would take a long time and super expensive to send something all the way there (if it is even possible?) and it would be disastrous to find a planet with a society similar to ours and let a probe (or some such) pass by their satellites and cause mass panic that could result in the deaths of many of innocent aliens.

The fear of a super-powerful alien strike against earth is and will continue to be a threat long after we have made peaceful allies in our universe but my fear is ultimately that our gift to the universe will be the worst of what humanity has to offer. Our evil tendencies to eliminate what we don't understand and to see ourselves ever lifted to the top of the power pyramid would be an awful curse on other-wise peacefully races.

I had this discussion with a friend of mine a while ago. What if aliens are keeping an eye on us as we speak? Would they shit a brick if we had eyes on their planet? We can't truly see what it is, we call it a different name and we have no way to get there. But just knowing that we know where their home is .. would it worry them?

Damn. I hope I don't die before the exciting stuff happens :p

Kepler-452b is being called Earth 2.0

Earth 2.0 is being attached to every planet discovered when it is the current most "earth-like".

Kepler 186f was continually called earth 2.0 ... a quick google search:

http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/earth-likenesses-have-we-discovered-earth-2-0-140417.htm

http://metro.co.uk/2014/04/18/kepler-186f-discovery-of-new-earth-like-planet-renews-hopes-of-life-in-space-4702846/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/earth-20-astronomers-reveal-kepler186f-the-latest-planet-in-a-habitable-goldilocks-zone-9268241.html

I was saying that it's only a matter of time before a REAL earth 2.0 is discovered. One that shares exactly the same characteristics as Earth.

Finding a plant orbiting the exact same kind of star, at the same distance, and with the exact composition is possible considering the countless stars that exist.

However, we'll find another habitable planet long before then.

Just wait for the James Webb space telescope to be launched in 2017. The instruments aboard will be much more sensitive than those on the Kepler spacecraft, and will be able to measure compositions of the atmosphere of exoplanets, with precision that will allow us to image them to some extent.

As far as leaving our solar system, i doubt that will be a reality in our lifetime, but nonetheless we truly live in exciting times with discoveries like these!!

I too believe it is only a matter of time before life in some form is discovered beyond Earth.

It's incredible to hear such amazing planetary discoveries so far away from our own solar system. Hope we invent warp drive someday and be able to visit! B) Even within our own planetary neighborhood, we've been making wonderful discoveries from the Dawn, Rosetta, and New Horizons missions. I'm sure we will find life on another world (or comet) someday!

I'm also looking forward to NASA's next exoplanet hunter, TESS (The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, which will be launched in 2017! TESS will cover 400 times more sky than Kepler. It will identify thousands of new planets, specifically for planets comparable in size to the Earth, creating good candidates for further research and observations from the James Webb Telescope. :D

I love hearing news from NASA. So exciting the accomplishments and strides we have made discovering space. I still read about the Voyager probes and their continuing missions in interstellar space.