Earthlike Planet at Alpha Centauri A

[Butters]

Hi all. Just wondering if anybody could speculate on the possibility of an earthlike planet orbitting Alpha Centauri A. By Earthlike I simply mean a small rocky planet, not something that has a breathable atmosphere or hospitable temperatures necessarily. I have read that it is not impossible, although because it is a tri-star system it's orbit would be more erratic and prone to bigger fluctuations in temperature and the like. It would also have a far shorter life span than earth because of this, eventually being torn apart.

 

I guess what I'm asking is, is there any reason that such a planet, however inhospitable, could not POSSIBLY exist at the present moment.

 

Any ideas? Thanks.

[Moontanman]

Hi all. Just wondering if anybody could speculate on the possibility of an earthlike planet orbitting Alpha Centauri A. By Earthlike I simply mean a small rocky planet, not something that has a breathable atmosphere or hospitable temperatures necessarily. I have read that it is not impossible, although because it is a tri-star system it's orbit would be more erratic and prone to bigger fluctuations in temperature and the like. It would also have a far shorter life span than earth because of this, eventually being torn apart.

 

I guess what I'm asking is, is there any reason that such a planet, however inhospitable, could not POSSIBLY exist at the present moment.

 

Any ideas? Thanks.

 

 

Actually there is no reason to think an earth like planet couldn't orbit either (or both) of the bigger stars in that system. And when I say earth like I mean air, water, the whole shooting match....

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Centauri

 

However, computer simulations show that a planet might have been able to form within a distance of 1.1 AU (160 million km) of Alpha Centauri B and the orbit of that planet may remain stable for at least 250 million years.[73] Bodies around A would be able to orbit at slightly farther distances due to A's stronger gravity. In addition, the lack of any brown dwarfs or gas giants around A and B make the likelihood of terrestrial planets greater than otherwise.[74] Currently, technologies do not allow for terrestrial planets like Earth to be detected around Alpha Centauri.[74]

 

 

 

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080307121613.htm

Edited July 27, 2010 by Moontanman

[Butters]

Thanks. I have researched this a bit (for a novel) and it seemed plausible and not unproven so I went with it.

[Moontanman]

The Centauri system is incredibly interesting, back yard radio astronomy would be very interesting to me if I could see the Centauri system from where live. About 35 years ago I was out bid at an auction for a 20 foot radio dish I wanted to use as a radio astronomy ground station. If Alpha Centauri was visible from here I would have bid more money , lol

[Brad Watson_Miami FL]

Hi all. Just wondering if anybody could speculate on the possibility of an earthlike planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A. By Earthlike I simply mean a small rocky planet, not something that has a breathable atmosphere or hospitable temperatures necessarily. I have read that it is not impossible, although because it is a tri-star system it's orbit would be more erratic and prone to bigger fluctuations in temperature and the like. It would also have a far shorter life span than earth because of this, eventually being torn apart. I guess what I'm asking is, is there any reason that such a planet, however inhospitable, could not POSSIBLY exist at the present moment. Any ideas? Thanks.... I have researched this a bit (for a novel) and it seemed plausible and not unproven so I went with it.

Butters (funny screen name),

 

I want to encourage your novel! Let me help by saying I not only attended, I was a presenter at the April 21-23, 2009 NASA Conference Missions for Exoplanets: 2010-2020 held in Pasadena, CA. One of the hardware proposal presenters said, "There is a 1/3 probability of there being an Earth-like planet in the Alpha Centauri system." (I believe he was the one from Boulder, CO.) No one batted an eyelash in response. A 'conspiracy theorist' would propose that the Govt already knows about it and that's why NASA's Kepler Mission is looking thousands of light-years away instead of right 'next-door'! I presented a poster you might want to check out entitled: Identifying 'True-Earth-like Planets' - All New Worlds Are Built On 7_4 (like Earth) or 6_4. I introduced the mathematical model of 'Planet Nestor'. You can find more info on that conference and my poster at http://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/exep_exoMtgPosters.cfm If you want to use any of my discoveries in your novel, it might produce some 'Da Vinci Code' responses for you!

[Moontanman]

I think it's interesting to think of what ifs like this, so what if there was a planet with complex life orbiting both stars? Can you imagine the incentive we would have for space travel if a habitable planet existed no further away than Saturn? The Centauri system is very interesting both from real and imaginary stand points...

[Butters]

Thanks Brad. It's interesting stuff. The whole site is actually. It's going to take me some time to wade through it all I think, but I'm sure I can come away with a more realistic environment. Thanks for your help!