Ship Enterprise is spinning. Orange planet circling the cloud-covered thin. Name Fotialla planet. After a close, Captain James Kirk down to the surface. The commander slide with teleportation technology. Meanwhile, steering the ship taken over by Mr Spock.
All they know, Fotialla or planet M-113, is an old planet with a civilization that has died. In fact do not. They were attacked by aliens who are able maternity ugly face like a human. Even the aliens infiltrate into the Enterprise and killing several crewmen.
This is not a true story, but one scene in Star Trek episode 'The Man Trap'. All the events portrayed were fictional occurred in 1513.1. In the scenario, Fotialla categorized as class-M planet. This type planets have an atmosphere containing oxygen, nitrogen, and water are plentiful.
In the real world, the classification of class-M planet is similar to the scientific terminology 'Planet Goldilock.' The experts predict, on this planet, humans may someday live.
End of September 2010, a flock of new planet hunter expert, find one of the planet goldilock. The new planet named Gliese then 581g.
Tim hunters who discovered Gliese 581g, it is Steven Vogt of the University of California (UC) Santa Cruz, Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution, Eugenio River from UCSC, Nader Hagahighipour from the University of Hawaii, Manoa, and Gregory Henry and Michael Williamson, of Tennessee State University.
581g planet is located in the constellation Libra, the solar system red dwarf star (Red Dwarf). Red dwarf stars were cataloged German astronomer Wilhelm Gliese, in 1957. In order to salute the inventor, a red dwarf star that resembles the sun was later given the name Gliese 581.
Gliese 581 has a number of planets surrounding them, which later was named Gliese 581 with imbued with the alphabet on the back as a differentiator.
The planet closest to the parent star named Gliese 581 Gliese 581e, followed Gliese 581b and Gliese 581C. Planets that are in fourth position is a newly discovered planet, Gliese 581g. Two planets behind it is named Gliese 581d, and the farthest Gliese 581f.
But now most attention is Gliese 581g. Because the new planets were very similar to the condition of the earth.
Steven Vogt, inventor of the planet, less comfortable with the name Gliese 581g. This new planet, he said, "too pretty to be named Gliese 581g." Prefer to call it Zarmina Vogt, Vogt wife's name who lives in California.
Know Zarmina Closer
This planet similar to Earth. The size is larger, about 20 to 50 percent larger than Earth. "This planet can hold more real estate than the earth," Vogt said half-jokingly. With the size of it, of course Zarmina be able to accommodate more living creatures, including humans.
How the situation there? Zarmina has a mass of 3 to 4 times greater than the mass of the earth. Gravity at its surface is also larger, about 1 to 1.5 larger than gravity. That is, if if you weight 70kg on earth, then in Zarmina will be stretched to about 100kg.
Greater force of gravity, making Zarmina able to withstand the atmospheric layer at the surface. The atmosphere is very important, especially to maintain water pressure, to stay liquid.
"From the data we collect at this planet the right distance to find the presence of water, and the mass of the planet is also appropriate for the presence of the atmosphere," said Paul Butler, a researcher at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, who helped Vogt. With a position like that, Zarmina might have inhabited human.
Astronomy Astrophysics Research experts from LAPAN, Professor Dr. Thomas Djamaludin, confirmed that at least there are three main requirements of a livable planet. That is the source of heat (sun), water and organic life. From the indications found by experts, Zarmina has fulfilled two of three conditions earlier.
Zarmina distance to the sun (Gliese 581), about 0.15 astronomical units (AU). And 1 unit of the SA equivalent to the distance of the earth to the sun, or about 150 million km.
That is, the distance Zarmina with its sun (Gliese 581) 7 times closer than Earth to the sun. When the earth has a revolution during the 364 days, Zarmina only require 37 days to complete the rotation once in orbit.
Since Gliese 581 is much smaller than the size of the sun is surrounded by earth, the star will not be as hot as the sun. Therefore, the average surface temperature Zarmina, estimated to range from -31 to -12 degrees Celsius.
However, the actual temperature of the planet is pretty extreme. It can be very hot. Can also be very cold. According to Vogt, in between hot and cold areas, there is a terminator region.
In the terminator region through which the equator, the temperature was warm, like in Mexico or Ecuador, where the residents there are still quite comfortable to wear sleeveless shirts.
In the region of the heat, the wind will be blowing at speeds 30-40 miles per hour. While in cold, wind blowing at speeds up to 10 miles per hour.
Uniquely, because of its location close enough to its star, Zarmina did not perform like the earth's rotation. To maintain its position from the gravitational pull of the sun (Gliese 581), Zarmina locked position.
Surface facing the sun will still get light and heat, while the rear surface of the dark and cold of all time. Therefore, it does not exist on the planet day and night. The part that faces the sun is always the day and the opposite, always night.
Since 11 Years Ago
This discovery was the result of hard work Steven Vogt and his team, who started the study sponsored by the National Science Foundation and NASA, since 11 years ago.
Vogt, is a professor of astronomy and astrophysics that have made some observations on various research UCSC and the University of California observatories, since 1978. Vogt is the person who designed the HiRes spectrometer, which is used to measure the radial velocity of a star.
According to the Head Boscha Observatory, Lembang, Judge L sit, Vogt was one of the pioneers in the discovery of a habitable planet, in addition Prof. Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz who in 1995 discovered extrasolar planets (planets outside our solar system) first, in the star system 51 Pegasi.
Zarmina own discovery was based on research at the WM Keck Observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, combined with data from the Observatory of Geneva Switzerland, who previously had found four other Gliese planet.
It was like being on the border between fiction and reality. The researchers themselves have never seen direct Zarmina planets through a telescope, because the telescope can only see light from the parent star Gliese 581.
They can only analyze the existence of planets - including Zarmina, using a spectrometer capable of measuring the radial velocity star Gliese 581.
Style attraction between the star Gliese 581 with Zarmina, causing the parent star has movement and turns on a small orbit. By observing the radial velocity of that, then Zarmina planets detected and can be estimated mass and its orbit.
Zarmina own invention achieved through debate and that is quite exciting competition among researchers. To collect data, each year Tim Vogt only has 15 days to use the telescope, which diantre by so many teams are researching various research objects.
Tim Vogt was in conflict with the Geneva Observatory, when they ask for the data that is very important. "I had told the Swiss that this is hard work and and we need to go through phases where, 'Our data are more perfect and your data is not, and so on and so on,'" said Vogt.
Fortunately, Vogt managed to convince the Swiss to share data in order to complete his research. "Mutual help one another, is the best way to discover the truth," he said.
Habitable planets Next
The discovery was hailed Vogt renowned scientists. One of them is Sara Seager, an expert on exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) from MIT. "The findings are incremental and monumental," said Sara.
According to him, he did research has discovered several planets that are smaller and situated close to the habitable zone of humans (habitable zone). But, he continued, "This is really a planet in the habitable zone."
Praised so much, Vogt and Butler remained modestly. This discovery, says Vogt, is not the pinnacle of achievement of astronomy. Zarmina, he said, only initial trigger that will lead to discoveries of planets next Goldilock.
"This planet is so close, and we find them quite brief. It may be, we'll find anything like this again," said Vogt.
Outside Zarmina, it is estimated there are more than 400 extrasolar planets waiting to be found. However, in the words of Professor Thomas Djamaluddin, the discovery of habitable planets is currently more on the purpose of discovery against the possibility of intelligent life other than human beings.
As for the goal to build human colonies on the planet, is still not unthinkable. "That's still more like a science fiction story," said Djamaluddin. Because, to reach the planet Zarmina that about 20 light years away (about 200 trillion km), it takes a very long time.
According to Vogt, a spacecraft-speed one-tenth the speed of light (the speed of light is 300 thousand kilometers per second), will bring people down to the planet within 220 years.
Today, perhaps only the USS Enterprise Captain Kirk with him that could bring people to the Zarmina. USS Enterprise safe speed which reaches 5 Warp (about 100 times the speed of light) can theoretically divide the earth into Zarmina distance in just less than 2 hours.
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