|
Exoplanet News Thread
|
|
| smjjames | Date: Tuesday, 16.10.2012, 00:43 | Message # 16 |
|
World Builder
Group: Users
United States
Messages: 913
Status: Offline
|
Okay guys, now lets look in quintuple and sextuple star systems 
If anything, this confirms that planets in multiple-multiples (triple, quadruple, etc, and yes I think I just made that term up) are not only possible, but they exist.
I know planets have been found around binary star systems (not sure about triple star systems though), but this is the first quadruple star system.
Also, I wonder how far apart the two pairs are from each other?
|
| |
| |
| HarbingerDawn | Date: Tuesday, 16.10.2012, 00:49 | Message # 17 |
 Cosmic Curator
Group: Administrators
United States
Messages: 8717
Status: Offline
| Quote (smjjames) Also, I wonder how far apart the two pairs are from each other?
900 AU (it says it in the press release)
All forum users, please read this!
My SE mods and addons
Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2 GHz, 16 GB DDR3 RAM, GTX 970 3584 MB VRAM
|
| |
| |
| smjjames | Date: Tuesday, 16.10.2012, 00:56 | Message # 18 |
|
World Builder
Group: Users
United States
Messages: 913
Status: Offline
| Quote (HarbingerDawn) Quote (smjjames)
Also, I wonder how far apart the two pairs are from each other?
900 AU (it says it in the press release)
Oh, missed that somehow. The system would probably resemble the Alpha Centauri AB + Proxima Centauri system in the distances between Alpha Centauri AB and Proxima, to use not such a great example, but I'm just trying to visualize it somewhat.
It'll definetly have interesting sunsets when it's orbit gets to the point where both pairs of stars are in the same area of sky, depending on how visible the other pair are from that planet though.
Also, anybody know what star types the other pair is? The first one is a red dwarf and a main sequence star, but I can't tell whether it's an F or G class.
Edited by smjjames - Tuesday, 16.10.2012, 01:02 |
| |
| |
| apenpaap | Date: Tuesday, 16.10.2012, 10:33 | Message # 19 |
 World Builder
Group: Users
Antarctica
Messages: 1063
Status: Offline
| I read somewhere the other pair looks about as bright as the full Moon from Earth, and probably would only look like one star with the naked eye; but you could separate them with binoculars.
I occasionally stream at http://www.twitch.tv/magistermystax. Sometimes SE, sometimes other games.
|
| |
| |
| SpaceEngineer | Date: Tuesday, 16.10.2012, 12:15 | Message # 20 |
 Author of Space Engine
Group: Administrators
Russian Federation
Messages: 4800
Status: Offline
| Quote (apenpaap) I read somewhere the other pair looks about as bright as the full Moon from Earth, and probably would only look like one star with the naked eye; but you could separate them with binoculars.
This system can be easily modelled in SE. After all this is SE's mission!
|
| |
| |
| HarbingerDawn | Date: Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:13 | Message # 21 |
|
Cosmic Curator
Group: Administrators
United States
Messages: 8717
Status: Offline
| YAHOO! WE FINALLY FOUND A PLANET AT ALPHA CENTAURI!!!
News posts to be added momentarily.
http://www.space.com/18089-earth-size-alien-planet-alpha-centauri.html
ESO's press release (more language options)
http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1241/
All forum users, please read this!
My SE mods and addons
Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2 GHz, 16 GB DDR3 RAM, GTX 970 3584 MB VRAM
Edited by HarbingerDawn - Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 15:01 |
| |
| |
| smjjames | Date: Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:17 | Message # 22 |
|
World Builder
Group: Users
United States
Messages: 913
Status: Offline
| Quote (HarbingerDawn) YAHOO! WE FINALLY FOUND A PLANET AT ALPHA CENTAURI!!!
News posts to be added momentarily.
Linkage!
Also ALPHA CENTAURI OR BUST!
I suppose everybody will now be trying to look at Alpha Centauri for habitable planets.
Edit: Plasters the space.com link onto the forum: http://www.space.com/18089-earth-size-alien-planet-alpha-centauri.html
Edited by smjjames - Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:18 |
| |
| |
| HarbingerDawn | Date: Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:19 | Message # 23 |
|
Cosmic Curator
Group: Administrators
United States
Messages: 8717
Status: Offline
| Quote (smjjames) I suppose everybody will now be trying to look at Alpha Centauri for habitable planets.
I just added the links 
Also, people have been looking at Alf Cen for planets for a very long time, the intensive search in that system for habitable worlds will not be something that has never been tried before.
All forum users, please read this!
My SE mods and addons
Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2 GHz, 16 GB DDR3 RAM, GTX 970 3584 MB VRAM
|
| |
| |
| smjjames | Date: Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:25 | Message # 24 |
|
World Builder
Group: Users
United States
Messages: 913
Status: Offline
| Quote (HarbingerDawn) Quote (smjjames)
I suppose everybody will now be trying to look at Alpha Centauri for habitable planets.
I just added the links smile
Also, people have been looking at Alf Cen for planets for a very long time, the intensive search in that system for habitable worlds will not be something that has never been tried before.
And dreaming about it for much longer than that. It's probably that it's just now that we are developing instruments that can detect planets there because the planets might not be in a position to get a transit, or maybe we are just now learning how and/or where to look in the data.
Still, this is damn exciting! WOO!
Now that planets have been confirmed there, it just might spur on development of interstellar spaceflight.
Edit: The eso link you put isn't working right, so I had to copy and paste, just letting you know.
Edited by smjjames - Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:28 |
| |
| |
| smjjames | Date: Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:33 | Message # 25 |
|
World Builder
Group: Users
United States
Messages: 913
Status: Offline
| Hey Space Engineer, now that planets (well okay, one) at Alpha Centauri have been confirmed, how about we ditch the fictional ones (hey, I like the Avatar movie too, so don't get me wrong) and put in this new planet and make some procedural ones to go with it?
|
| |
| |
| HarbingerDawn | Date: Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:38 | Message # 26 |
|
Cosmic Curator
Group: Administrators
United States
Messages: 8717
Status: Offline
| smjjames, I agree that Avatar should be taken off the default list (though still included as an option like SolarSys3000). But Alf Cen should be treated like any other system. Alf Cen B b should be added, and that's it. No other procedural worlds to accompany it. Users can add some of their own if they like, but it should not be default.
On an unrelated note, while I was reading the Alf Cen announcement several minutes ago, an earthquake struck my house, the first I've ever felt. Now I'm doubly excited!
Quote (smjjames) The eso link you put isn't working right, so I had to copy and paste, just letting you know.
It seems that ESO doesn't take kindly to URL shortening, so copy/paste is the only option for now I'm afraid :(\
EDIT: Actually, I think they're just having server errors at the moment, too much traffic I would guess
All forum users, please read this!
My SE mods and addons
Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2 GHz, 16 GB DDR3 RAM, GTX 970 3584 MB VRAM
Edited by HarbingerDawn - Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:44 |
| |
| |
| SpaceEngineer | Date: Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:45 | Message # 27 |
|
Author of Space Engine
Group: Administrators
Russian Federation
Messages: 4800
Status: Offline
| That's coolest news ever! This is MOST close discovered planet to us!
Add this code to data/catalogs/planets/Avatar.sc or data/catalogs/planets/Exoplanets.sc
Code Planet "b"
{
ParentBody "Toliman B"
Class "Desert"
Radius 6300
Orbit
{
SemiMajorAxis 0.04011
Inclination 81.6
AscendingNode 73.0
ArgOfPericen 86.73
MeanAnomaly 67.3
}
}
Edit: So I'll remove at least all fictional Alpha Centauri B planets in the next release. Alpha Centauri A planets should be gone too... It's confirmed that it has no gas giants. And it was known about before the Avatar movie making started, so we should blame James Cameron in his ignorance!
*
|
| |
| |
| smjjames | Date: Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:48 | Message # 28 |
|
World Builder
Group: Users
United States
Messages: 913
Status: Offline
| Quote (HarbingerDawn) On an unrelated note, while I was reading the Alf Cen announcement several minutes ago, an earthquake struck my house, the first I've ever felt. Now I'm doubly excited! biggrin
Well, the East Coast isn't exactly known for earthquakes, I'm from California. Also, USGS says it's a 4.6, which isn't a major quake by any means.
Quote (HarbingerDawn) smjjames, I agree that Avatar should be taken off the default list (though still included as an option like SolarSys3000). But Alf Cen should be treated like any other system. Alf Cen B b should be added, and that's it. No other procedural worlds to accompany it. Users can add some of their own if they like, but it should not be default.
It would still be cool to see what the procedural engine would generate. Also, I'm not sure how easily Space Engineer can make procedural worlds show up on stars that already have catalog planets on them.
Still, I agree with you about just having the catalog worlds there and no procedural worlds just to avoid confusing people. How about adding procedural worlds to Alpha Centauri A and Proxima? Unless the coding for binary+ systems would get in the way.
Quote (SpaceEngineer) That's coolest news ever! This is MOST close discovered planet to us!
Add this code to data/catalogs/planets/Avatar.sc or data/catalogs/planets/Exoplanets.sc
Code
Planet "b"
{
ParentBody "Toliman B"
Class "Desert"
Radius 6300
Orbit
{
SemiMajorAxis 0.04011
Inclination 81.6
AscendingNode 73.0
ArgOfPericen 86.73
MeanAnomaly 67.3
}
}
Could we not call it Toliman if that is a fictional name?, just my opinion. Unless that's what you call Alpha Centauri in Russian. I know it also has Alpha Centauri and Rigel Kentarus, but since we're putting a real planet in, we should keep fictional names off.
Edited by smjjames - Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:58 |
| |
| |
| HarbingerDawn | Date: Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:53 | Message # 29 |
|
Cosmic Curator
Group: Administrators
United States
Messages: 8717
Status: Offline
| Quote (smjjames) Also, USGS says it's a 4.6, which isn't a major quake by any means.
Like I said, first earthquake ever. I don't care how big it was or whether someone in Cali thinks it's nothing, I felt it and I'm excited. Hmph.
Quote (smjjames) Could we not call it Toliman if that is a fictional name?
Toliman is not a fictional name.
SpaceEngineer, why did you choose those values for Radius and Inclination, etc? I don't recall seeing those mentioned in the articles, and I know that radius is unknown since it's not transiting.
All forum users, please read this!
My SE mods and addons
Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2 GHz, 16 GB DDR3 RAM, GTX 970 3584 MB VRAM
Edited by HarbingerDawn - Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 15:02 |
| |
| |
| smjjames | Date: Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 00:56 | Message # 30 |
|
World Builder
Group: Users
United States
Messages: 913
Status: Offline
| Quote (HarbingerDawn) Quote (smjjames)
Could we not call it Toliman if that is a fictional name?
Toliman is not a fictional name.
Hence my saying unless Toliman is Russian (or some other langiage) for that system, I didn't know it wasn't a fictional name. Although I'll just go and google it right now.
Edited by smjjames - Wednesday, 17.10.2012, 01:11 |
| |
| |
ENG
New site
United States 
Antarctica 
Russian Federation 