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Stross says Gliese 581c on the grounds that it's the closest currently known vaguely-habitable exoplanet. Most likely there are others closer and we haven't fou
by afafsd 12y ago
Stross says Gliese 581c on the grounds that it's the closest currently known vaguely-habitable exoplanet. Most likely there are others closer and we haven't found them yet.
Probably not Alpha Centauri since it's a binary system.
- dredmorbius 12y agoA habitable plainet would require a vaguely Sun-like star. Odds of one hiding between us and a. Centauri are low. Gleise or a neighbor are best bets, and near exoolanets are also generally easier to spot.
- afafsd 12y agoNot one hiding between us and Alpha Centauri (which is unlikely), but one of the hundred or so stars between us and Gliese 581. Closer exoplanets aren't necessarily easier to spot, we've spotted those around Gliese 581 because they have a nice short period of a few days.
- dredmorbius 12y agoEase of finding an exoplanet, among other things, increases with proximity. A close and attentive reader of my original comment might possibly note that my argument wasn't for Gliese but against a. centauri. The salient point being that you'll need to schedule and budget for markedly more than 4.6 light years.