AP: First detection of extra-solar terrestial sized planet?

I AGREE!. I calculated for Alpha Centauri.(80,00 years for Voyager.)

Not the new planet almost four times farther away.

Apollo 10 would indeed reach the new planet in about half a million years.

I spotted my mistake the second I sent it and waited for the flak!

Peter.

I spotted my mistake the second I sent it and waited for the flak!

And some flak you got!

I also spotted my mistake when I said it was "four times farther away".

It's almost five times farther away!

So around 625K years would be correct!

Peter.

P.S. The great admit their errors.

Your not the only one making errors. I was watching the TV3 New last night and if I'm not mistaken they said the planet was 2 million Light Years away . Just shows you can't beleve everything they say on TV.

Martin Turner had a brilliant cartoon about it in the Irish Times today.

A few atronomers peering at it through an enormous scope wondering if the water was pure enough for Galway.

Peter

If anyone is interested.... The Times (British) quoted a 5 billion year journey time to Gliese 581c. Clearly something wasn't quite right with the mathhs.

Gliese 581 is about 120 trillion miles away (120,519,500,000,000 miles). The fastest manned spacecraft (sustained speed) is Apollo 10 at 24,791mph.

What the Times did was divided the distance by the speed (120 trillion/25,000) and got 5 billion - *hours*. Unfortunately, they forgot to reduce the time to years....

5 billion/24*365 is just over half a million years.

So, a lesson in making sure the papers (and the TV) have got their maths right...

Cheers
Dave