back to article Rocky Ross 128 b might harbour aliens – and it's headed right for us

A new study to appear in Astronomy & Astrophysics has detected what could be our closest exoplanet that is not only rocky, but also orbits a star with a low amount of solar activity that could help an atmosphere survive – Ross 128 b. Proxima Centauri b, about 4.25 light years away from our Sun, garnered a lot of media …

  1. frank ly

    Memories

    I remember docking at a space station in the Ross 128 system. It was a long time ago though.

    1. Excellentsword

      Re: Memories

      In my experience, it's a good place for bounty hunting.

    2. ibmalone

      Re: Memories

      I only came here to ask if we'll still need a permit.

      1. MyffyW Silver badge

        Re: Memories

        Ross 128 was on the trade route to nowhere if I recall correctly. Only reason to go there was to gain a permit or to conduct a photo recon mission for the Imperial Navy.

  2. Dave Pickles

    "Maybe one day we'll go there"

    If the star system is going to be 7 light-years closer to us in 70,000 years, then it is heading in our direction at around 18 miles per second. The question should be less about how to get there and more about how to get out of the way.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  3. DNTP

    Alien Apocaplypse in 71 years!

    Everyone is gnoing to die! Send me All you r Money!

  4. hplasm
    Happy

    "Everyone is gnoing to die!"

    You don't gno that for sure! Have a bit of money, yu Gnostic!

    1. DNTP

      Re: "Everyone is gnoing to die!"

      Have an gnupvote. That's what my uncensored posting looks like before the morning stimulants kick in.

  5. Steve the Cynic
    Joke

    Vaporise the atmosphere?

    Isn't it already vapour?

  6. Dave Harvey

    Planet classification required

    The article properly mentions M-class stars but (disappointingly for el Reg) fails to categorise this as an M-class planet!

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "interesting" that the star "is very close"

    That is, "very close" in the sense that Australia is very close, from the point of view of a microbe who is planning to crawl there.

    1. ibmalone

      Re: "interesting" that the star "is very close"

      But the microbes made it there in the end.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Trollface

    If the star is named Ross...

    Can't we name the planet Rachel? Just saying'

    1. Excellentsword

      Re: If the star is named Ross...

      The One Where Rachel Is A Potentially Habitable Planet

  9. mad_dr

    I, for one, welcome...

    etc...

  10. LaeMing
    Happy

    It's the exoplanet that comes to YOU!

  11. The Nazz

    71,000 years

    Gives me plenty of time to save up for a day trip.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bookings now being taken

    Send your deposit to: ........

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    And when we finally arrive...

    ...the first there will see a rocky landscape, noxious gasses and an abandoned shopping trolley with 3 wheels.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I hear they detected a signal

    "I'm MEeeeeEEEeeelllTing"...

  15. andy gibson

    Frontier Elite 2

    As I always do in these cases, I dig out FE2 and see how accurate Braben and Bell were with their predictions of planets.

    Ross 128 does have two rocky planetoids, one used as a prison colony. Permit Required.

    1. ibmalone

      Re: Frontier Elite 2

      I think Frontier used some basic predictions from then current astrophysics about what kind of planets you might find in what kind of systems. Bell wasn't involved in it though. Original Elite was much more Hitchiker's Guide in its approach to star system generation.

      Used to have the cycle of short stories that came with FE2, but lost it and have never found a copy online. I remember it being quite good and them all having a common thread. Would be very tempted to get back into Elite if there was a single player version, massively multiplayer doesn't really tempt me.

      1. ibmalone

        Re: Frontier Elite 2

        Never mind, it can now be found, http://www.dream-ware.co.uk/frontier/books/stories-of-life-on-the-frontier/

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like