Far out cosmology:Tidally locked planets explained-2 (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 00:57 (3006 days ago) @ David Turell

The star close to us with a planet is discussed:
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> http://nautil.us/blog/our-nearest-star-has-a-planet-and-these-are-the-ways-it-could-be-... 
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> "This is the planet we have been waiting for."-No it isn't deserving the hype about Earth-like. But it is worth studying:-http://mashable.com/2016/08/28/earth-like-planets-proxima-b/#hANc6Te1Emq4-"The discovery of a new, possibly habitable alien planet is always met by media coverage marked by sweeping pronouncements about our place in the universe, and even *gasp* alien life.-"Wednesday's announcement of a newfound, possibly Earth-sized planet in a potentially habitable orbit around a star not far from our sun threw that kind of breathless coverage into overdrive. -***-"Yes, it's amazing that this possibly rocky planet is orbiting a star just 4 light-years away, possibly close enough to one day launch a mission to, but there is still so much we don't know about this brave new world.-
"Plus, Proxima b is far from being a twin of our planet. -"Scientists aren't sure what kind of atmosphere it has or even if it's able to support a magnetic field, two things that it would need to sustain habitability in orbit around its active, flaring star. -"We simply don't know if it can support water, life or much of anything on its surface at all.-"Beyond the inaccuracy in this particular case, calling a planet "Earth-like" without knowing if it actually is, threatens to give members of the public a false sense of just how unique (or average) our Earth is.-***-"Why not save the Earth-like label for something that truly is?-"'If we say Earth-like in every press release, it kind of cheapens it in a way," NASA exoplanet scientist Steve Howell told Mashable in an interview. -"And he would know. For years, Howell has worked with NASA's Kepler Space Telescope — which searches for alien worlds out in the universe. -***-"In the next 10 to 20 years, more and more huge telescopes on Earth will start coming online, allowing scientists to scan the heavens for signs of life and pleasant atmospheres on close-by alien worlds. Proxima b will likely be a great target for that kind of followup research.-
"Plus, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is due to launch in 2018, possibly providing new views of alien atmospheres that could pick up possible biosignatures — like oxygen — floating around on those worlds.-"But until then, we'll probably have to keep on waiting before we call anything truly "Earth-like.'"-Comment: My sentiments exactly.