Dick Dasterdly

No sweat Bil, it looks like they're heading to China first.

http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-56020.html

bil

Ooooo that's a toughie.

Or maybe not. Look a bit further down and we get

"Some experts also believe the three sightings could be evidence of a new Chinese military aircraft."

Hmmmm, Ufo or secret military device. What could it be?

Fortunately I have a useful device to hand, namely Occam's Razor.

So, regretfully I shall have to conclude it is of terrestrial origen.

Sad really. I'd love to meet a ufo.

Dick Dasterdly

There you go Bil, soon you can leave all your earthly troubles behind.

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.ac...81474978643196

bil

Yeah, right. Remember what I said about distance? If there is a goldilocks planet 100 light years away, then it will take closer to 1,000 years to get there as I don't see them getting a top speed of much more than 1/10 lightspeed.

Then there's shielding against cosmic rays.....

This sounds more like the plot for a B rated scifi flick to be honest...

Dick Dasterdly

Just though the weather might suit you Bill, around 30 to 40c in the equatorial regions,..... though it can be a touch nippy on a night at minus 120c.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_th...rature_on_Mars

On the other hand, it may be worth thinking about,as I just called in the ferreteria for a shovel, and the local weather experts are predicting the worst Winter in a thousand years.

bil

Well, google the nearest habitable planet, and you get something 20+ lightyears away, that is 5 times the mass of the earth. Does that mean the gravity is 5x that of earth? If so, a) it's still a bloody sight more than 100 years away, and b) their definition of habitable is somewhat at odds with mine.

Dick Dasterdly

To go back to the original topic, I get the impression that you view habitable on other planets as only applying to the earthly human race or similar.
Take polar bears and penguins for instance, perfectly comfortable at temperatures well below zero all year round if needs be.
Like all other life on our planet, they have evolved to suit their environment.
Any life on far away planets could have totally different requirements to life on earth regarding even the most basic essentials that we consider an absolute necessity for survival, and may possibly have evolved in a way which is far beyond anything we could ever imagine.

bil

Yes and no. I meant habitable as in a pretty general sense. To me a habitable world is one with liquid water available, which rules out most planets instantly.

Unless we find some bizzarre lifeform based around a superheated plasma or something else equally bizzarre, then 99% of all sentient life we come across will be carbon based and requiring a liquid water environment.

Chemistry and physics are the same the whole universe over, and carbon is the only element which can form branched chains at temperatures mild enough not to cremate the organism.