Let's imagine that a global catastrophe has occurred and we are forced to free the earth. How long will it take to get to the most earth-like planet we've discovered so far?
For starters, the most Earth-like planet ever discovered is Kepler 452b. We know about this planet thanks to the Kepler space telescope, launched in March 2009, which has been hunting planets for the past 5 years. Kepler 452 is a sun-like star that hurtles through space 1,400 light-years from Earth. It is worth noting that this star has the same surface temperature as our sun, and almost the same energy output.
By and large, both the sun and Kepler 452 are G-type yellow dwarfs. This means that the habitable zone of Kepler 452 (the region around the star that could theoretically exist liquid water) is almost identical to the sun. And interestingly, in this zone around this star, a planet rotates, the path of which is almost identical to that of the earth, Kepler 452b. This planet occupies almost the same place as the earth in the solar system.
It follows that the length of the year on this planet is almost identical to ours, and the amount of energy that the planet receives is strikingly similar to that of the earth. The orbit of Kepler 452b completes in 385 days and receives only 10% more energy than the earth.
Scientists can't measure the mass of Kepler 452b directly, but findings based on simulations indicate that the planet is only five times as massive as Earth (nearly 60% more. This strongly suggests that this solid-state world is similar to ours, and this is very good (we don’t yet have the technology to live on the gas giants. In addition, gravity will be twice that of the earth. This can significantly complicate life on the planet, but in general does not make living impossible (if only we can get there.
A little math.
First, let's define what a light year is. This is the distance that light can travel in one year (obviously, isn't it. Light travels on the order of a billion kilometers per hour. This means that in a year light travels 9.5 trillion kilometers. 1400 light years is approximately 13.3 quadrillion kilometers So if we launch our fastest probe to the planet, New Horizons, which is currently traveling at 50,000 km/h, it would take 26 million years to reach its new destination.
By this time, all life on our planet will most likely die out.
For comparison, modern people evolved about 200,000 years ago. We left Africa, at the earliest, 130,000 years ago. These numbers are nowhere near comparable to the 26 million years it would take us to reach Kepler 452b.
But what if we develop better technologies? Can we ever fly faster?
In fact, it won't get much better. Even if we travel at the speed of light (the maximum possible speed on this moment), it will take us 1400 years to reach the desired planet. In the event that our ancestors had gone to this world, they would have had to move out in 615 AD to get there by today.
Of course, traveling at that speed means time dilation will come into play. Thus, those who will be on the ship will feel as if only a century has passed. But for the universe (and everyone else in it), the flight will take 1400 years. Eventually, when our settlers arrive at their destination, if not the universe, then the solar system will change dramatically.
Of course, there are other planets that we can go to, some of them are much closer. Alpha Centauri Bb, which is considered the closest planet to Earth outside our solar system, for example. It should revolve around Alpha Centauri B, although this is not yet certain. And yet, assuming its presence, it is 4.37 light years from earth. Traveling at the speed of light, we would have reached it in just over four years.
True, even if it is there, we are unlikely to want to visit it, since the planet is located very close to the parent star. It completes the orbit in 3 days and 5 hours. The planet is unbearably hot and unable to support any form of life.
So let's just hope that there will simply be no global catastrophe that can doom our solar system to death. At least we should settle down on it in time.
Scientists have calculated exactly how long it will take to fly through an imaginary tunnel from one end of the Earth to the other.
The study showed that, theoretically, a person could fly through the Earth in 38 minutes, and not 42 minutes, as previously thought.
The Earth is designed in such a way that gravity increases slightly as you approach the dense core and weakens as you pass through the core, reaching zero at the center.
tunnel through the earth
According to the original hypothetical scenario, if you make a hole from one point of the Earth to another on the opposite side, it will take you 42 minutes and 12 seconds to pass through the Earth. Of course, you would need a tunnel that could withstand the very high temperature and pressure inside the Earth, and the body must be able to endure these conditions.
And this, given the speed, which would be 29,000 km per hour.
Theoretically, when a person falls through the Earth, gravity is constantly changing. Man would begin to accelerate, approaching the center, and slow down, continuing his way to the opposite side of the Earth.
However, Canadian scientist Alexander Klotz from McGill University said that the density of the Earth's layers was not taken into account in the original calculations. So the density at the surface is less than 1000 kg per cubic meter, at the core - 13,000 kg per cubic meter at a depth of 6730 km. At a distance of 3500 km from the center, there is also a jump in density.
If we take into account the different density of the geological layers of the Earth, then a person would reach speeds of up to 8 km per second, which is 23 times faster than the speed of sound.
Thus, given all the data, the fall through the Earth would take 38 minutes 11 seconds.
Recently, scientists announced that they have discovered a new superviscous layer in the earth's mantle. This discovery could explain why parts of tectonic plates sometimes get stuck and thicken 1,500 km underground.
It could also explain why earthquakes occur deep within the Earth, suggesting that it is much hotter there than previously thought.
The new layer is located at a depth of 660 km to 1500 km. At this depth, liquids are under such intense pressure that they become extremely dense, becoming superviscous.
Ecology of knowledge. Science and discoveries: Let's imagine that a global catastrophe has occurred and we are forced to free the Earth. How long will it take to get to the most Earth-like planet we've discovered so far?
Let's imagine that a global catastrophe has occurred and we are forced to free the Earth. How long will it take to get to the most Earth-like planet we've discovered so far?
For starters, the most Earth-like planet ever discovered is Kepler 452b. We know about this planet thanks to the Kepler space telescope, launched in March 2009, which has been hunting planets for the past 5 years. Kepler 452 is a Sun-like star that hurtles through space 1,400 light-years from Earth. It is worth noting that this star has the same surface temperature as our Sun and almost the same energy output.
By and large, both the Sun and Kepler 452 are G-type yellow dwarfs. This means that Kepler 452's habitable zone (the region around the star where liquid water could theoretically exist) is virtually identical to the sun's. And interestingly, in this zone around this star, a planet rotates, the path of which is almost identical to that of the earth, Kepler 452b. This planet occupies almost the same place as the Earth in the solar system.
It follows that the length of the year on this planet is almost identical to ours, and the amount of energy that the planet receives is strikingly similar to that of the Earth. The orbit of Kepler 452b completes in 385 days and receives only 10% more energy than the Earth.
Scientists cannot measure the mass of Kepler 452b directly, but conclusions based on simulations indicate that the planet is only five times as massive as Earth (almost 60% more). This strongly suggests that this solid-state world is similar to ours, and this is very good (we do not yet have the technology to live on gas giants). In addition, gravity will be twice that of the earth. This can make life on the planet much more difficult, but in general it does not make living impossible (if only we can get there).
A little math
First, let's define what a light year is. This is the distance that light can travel in one year (obviously, right?). Light travels about a billion kilometers per hour. This means that light travels 9.5 trillion kilometers a year. 1400 light years is approximately 13.3 quadrillion kilometers. If we launch our fastest probe, New Horizons, which is currently traveling at 50,000 km/h, to the planet, it would take 26 million years to reach its new destination.
By this time, all life on our planet will most likely die out.
By comparison, modern humans evolved about 200,000 years ago. We left Africa, at the earliest, 130,000 years ago. These numbers are nowhere near comparable to the 26 million years it would take us to reach Kepler 452b.
But what if we develop better technologies? Can we ever fly faster?
In fact, it won't get much better. Even if we travel at the speed of light (the fastest possible speed at the moment), it will take us 1400 years to reach the desired planet. If our ancestors had gone to this world, they would have had to move out in 615 AD to get there by today.
Of course, traveling at that speed means time dilation will come into play. Thus, those who will be on the ship will feel as if only a century has passed. But for the universe (and everyone else in it), the flight will take 1400 years. Eventually, when our settlers arrive at their destination, if not the universe, then the solar system will change dramatically.
Of course, there are other planets that we can go to, some of them are much closer. Alpha Centauri Bb, which is considered the closest planet to Earth outside our solar system, for example. It should revolve around Alpha Centauri B, although this is not yet certain. And yet, if we assume its presence, it is 4.37 light years from Earth. Traveling at the speed of light, we would have reached it in just over four years.
True, even if it is there, we are unlikely to want to visit it, since the planet is located very close to the parent star. It completes the orbit in 3 days and 5 hours. The planet is unbearably hot and unable to support any form of life.
So let's just hope that a global catastrophe that can doom our solar system to death, it just won't. At least we should settle down on it in time. published