3 Earth Size worlds in a dwarf star's habitable zone

[Chumbly]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/02/health/three-habitable-planets-earth-dwarf-star/index.html

This is a real momentous discovery...the holy grail of planet hunting...

Chumbly

 

[Nerhesi]

Well, as it is similar to the half-dozen previous discoveries of earth-like habitable planets, only time and improved telescope tech can hopefully show us more

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/02/health/three-habitable-planets-earth-dwarf-star/index.html

This is a real momentous discovery...the holy grail of planet hunting...

Chumbly

The continuing space hunt for water.

 

[simonh]

The MIT News article is pretty good, via Hacker News.

These are much more interesting than most of the exoplanets found so far, which have either been a lot more massive than Earth or well outside the habitable zone or both. Some of them have met the technical criteria for possibly supporting life, but could hardly be described as Earth-like. The third planet in particular is easily the most interesting in this regard and is well placed to potential be more Earth-like than either Venus or Mars.

Simon Hibbs

 

[Reynard]

All we need now is jump technology....

 

[Nerhesi]

We can add these to the list!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_potentially_habitable_exoplanets

I guess these would be the closest... or not. Nope.. they're not. I hate it when articles are sensationalist like that... It's the equivalent of "We've discovered X! Against! For the time! Once more!"

 

[Reynard]

I think it's the excitement of finding more and more of these systems meaning they ain't so rare. More detailed information on these world deepens our understanding of the universe. Someday we may discover the FTL of our dreams and this data gives us a reason to go out there. Wouldn't be horrible if we got all dressed up and there was no where to go? Essentially, we have plenty of space debris in our own confines. If it's just more debris or worlds we can use, why bother? Three worlds around Earth size and in the habitable zone is enticing.

 

[Tenacious-Techhunter]

Yay HabCat!

 

[simonh]

I guess these would be the closest... or not. Nope.. they're not. I hate it when articles are sensationalist like that... It's the equivalent of "We've discovered X! Against! For the time! Once more!"

None of the expolanets found before this (and on that list) are actually much like earth at all. They were just solid planets. Most of them were many times bigger than earth or in extremely hostile orbits or both. These planets are bang smack in the range of terrestrial size and close to or in the star's habitable zone. They were also found orbiting a class of star we've not payed much attention to, using novel instrumentation not used before and it turns out this star class may well be vastly more likely to host terrestrial class worlds than most other star types.

So this wasn't a 'me too' observation.

Simon Hibbs

 

[Nerhesi]

Hey Simon

None of the expolanets found before this (and on that list) are actually much like earth at all. They were just solid planets.

Could you define solid planets and how these most recent ones differ from the previous finds? I'm not finding anything to indicate that these planets are either less or more solid than the previous finds. There is definitely no direct evidence of water or methane yet (no more than the conjecture based on them being in the proposed habitable zone).

Most of them were many times bigger than earth or in extremely hostile orbits or both.

That is not actually correct. Many of the ones listed are actually as close or closer to earth's size than ones just recently discovered. Several are not in hostile orbits at all.

These planets are bang smack in the range of terrestrial size and close to or in the star's habitable zone.

So are several of the ones we've already found. Several or many depending on one's guess around the habitable zone.

They were also found orbiting a class of star we've not payed much attention to,

M Type stars... the most common observed spectral type when it comes when it comes to exoplanets.

using novel instrumentation not used before and it turns out this star class may well be vastly more likely to host terrestrial class worlds than most other star types.

Which we knew already because M Class stars have the most potentially habitable planets observed so far (this is before TRAPPIST-1 even).

So this wasn't a 'me too' observation.

So I've obviously missed something... since none of the above is news, and has been observed and reported on before. Estimated size, orbit, habitable zone are not unique and match several already observed exoplanets. What is unique about TRAPPIST?