About Earth-like planets

[gravityztr]

what about the earth-likes planets ? do you think it's unrealistic that they are planets who looks just the same as earth, pretty much in half the systems you visit ??

i guess earth like planets shouldnt exists much. the earth is unique, and other planets can be similar like water-world, or having water and life on it, but it doesnt mean they have to look like a copy of earth......

 

[Apocryphic]

If they're in half the systems you visit, you're visiting populated systems and most of those have been terraformed.

Earth-like worlds don't all appear with the same green and blue look, some are covered entirely by water. Besides, what else would they look like? A nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere will always have roughly the same hue, and there will be blue oceans and green continents covered in plant life. Worlds with ammonia based life look radically different.

I haven't seen any new water worlds that actually look like earth recently. It's good to note that any terrestrial planet with conventional life is a water world if it doesn't meet the requirements for earth-like. Worlds without life may be high metal or rocky, even if covered by water.

 

[Zenith]

The point is that worlds that have similar characteristics to Earth are likely to have similar ecosystems. That means oxygen in the atmosphere, oceans, polar ice caps and green vegetation. They're going to look similar to Earth.

Earth-like worlds (ELW) ARE rare in game. I've found 3 out of the last 800 systems.

 

[CMDR Swift Arrow]

The point is that worlds that have similar characteristics to Earth are likely to have similar ecosystems. That means oxygen in the atmosphere, oceans, polar ice caps and green vegetation. They're going to look similar to Earth.

Earth-like worlds (ELW) ARE rare in game. I've found 3 out of the last 800 systems.

Yup, about the only way to guarantee you'll find a few is to pick a sector and scan EVERY STAR in the area. This is like 500-2000 stars in any given area depending on star density.

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Also, remember that we don't know how common Earth-likes actually are since we can't even clearly see 99% of the stars in our OWN galaxy from Earth, never mind others.

 

[Apocryphic]

Yup, about the only way to guarantee you'll find a few is to pick a sector and scan EVERY STAR in the area. This is like 500-2000 stars in any given area depending on star density.

You can reduce the search by focusing on systems with class K, G, and F stars, which have the highest chance for an earth-like world. You're not likely to find one around a protostar or cold unscoopable dwarf.

 

[Whiterose]

I have scanned over 250 systems....havent found one earth like yet. Class K,G, F and M. Also O, B and A if the planet is in the sweet spot. Scientifically earth likes are more likely around Class M's.

 

[Zenith]

You can reduce the search by focusing on systems with class K, G, and F stars, which have the highest chance for an earth-like world. You're not likely to find one around a protostar or cold unscoopable dwarf.

The 3 ELW I mentioned were all around a K or M class secondary in a neutron star primary system.
F/G/K/M are the usual stars though.

 

[Varrag]

The point is that worlds that have similar characteristics to Earth are likely to have similar ecosystems. That means oxygen in the atmosphere, oceans, polar ice caps and green vegetation. They're going to look similar to Earth.

Green plants may be something very specific for the Earth, though. The most efficient colour for harvesting solar energy is black. Terran plants appear green because, for some reason, they aren't absorbing green'ish light wavelenghts. Depending on many factors (such as spectrum and luminosity of the main star) alien life on Earth-like worlds could choose different path so the vegetation appear blue, red/purple or black.

 

[Zenith]

Green plants may be something very specific for the Earth, though. The most efficient colour for harvesting solar energy is black. Terran plants appear green because, for some reason, they aren't absorbing green'ish light wavelenghts. Depending on many factors (such as spectrum and luminosity of the main star) alien life on Earth-like worlds could choose different path so the vegetation appear blue, red/purple or black.

I take your point Varrag. Different plants on other worlds would have different ratios of pigments depending on the spectrum of their star.

That said though, we're making the assumption that an ELW already has life and that it is based broadly on the chemistry we're used to (carbon based, oxygen/carbon dioxide respiration, glucose as most basic food unit). If that's the case, then all the life on the planet would be similar to what we have on Earth because the ecology of both planets would be trying to solve similar environmental problems by using similar solutions. The chemistry of life/respiration requires electron energy of distinct levels (look up electron transport chains) and in plants that energy comes from photons with characteristic frequencies (which equate in Earth's case to red and blue light). Billions of years of evolution led to the majority of plants using chlorophyll to get energy from the Sun because the majority of plants share a common ancestry.

I'm not a molecular biologist, but reading around the subject is fascinating to me. The complexity of the energy chains in all aerobic life is staggering, and yet we don't give it a second thought because "it just works".
Considering how those variables might change on other worlds is a whole branch of xenobiology in itself.

 

[Varrag]

^^ yeah, I am currenty reading (a lot) about alien biochemistry, trying to wrap my head around the probability to have something other than the carbon-water/ammonia based life. I guess it would be somewhat easier for me if I was better in chemistry during my schooldays

 

[Poseidal]

I have scanned over 250 systems....havent found one earth like yet. Class K,G, F and M. Also O, B and A if the planet is in the sweet spot. Scientifically earth likes are more likely around Class M's.

M have the smallest 'sweet zone' don't they?

Though they are the oldest (more time for life to form) and the most common star.

 

[Duckfather]

Well, I'm 12,500LY out from civilisation and have only found 1 so far, with probably about 30 or so terra-formable worlds which most certainly don't look earth-like! I'd say they're not exactly that common

 

[Werppa]

Well, I'm 12,500LY out from civilisation and have only found 1 so far, with probably about 30 or so terra-formable worlds which most certainly don't look earth-like! I'd say they're not exactly that common

I'm ca 5000Ly away from Sol with 650 visited systems and I haven't found a single earth-like planet yet although I've tried hard to find one lately... The only ones I've found are either terraformable or water worlds. I've found way more than 30 terraformable planets though, or atleast it feels like it.

 

[Fen Harel]

I have scanned over 250 systems....havent found one earth like yet. Class K,G, F and M. Also O, B and A if the planet is in the sweet spot. Scientifically earth likes are more likely around Class M's.

I know one Earth-like that is found around a G2

When I have hunted for Earth-likes I have used the galaxy map to restrict it to F and G. You can find them around other stars, like F and K, but at least in my experience restricting to F and G seems to maximize the chances of an Earth-like. After having explored around 1000 systems I've run across about 8 or 9, 4 of which I discovered. Others have done much better, of course, so this is just what I have found.

 

[Hellhawk666]

Out of almost 4,000 systems visited I've discovered just 5 Earth-type planets. Many, many more water worlds and terraforming candidates, but true naturally formed Earth-types are rare - as they should be.

 

[Allitnil]

I average about 1 ELW per 200-250 systems visited. That's just travelling from one place to another, not cherry picking the most likely stars or anything else to increase the chances.

 

[Pete]

I found my retirement world last night - and only my second "first to discover" Earth-Like in approx 800 systems visited.

It's about 10,000 Ly from Sol, Earth-Like in a shared orbit with a ringed gas-giant, and the Earth-Like itself is also ringed with 2 pristine (of course) metallic rings. I think it's the holy grail of planets.

-- Pete.

 

[Poseidal]

I found my retirement world last night - and only my second "first to discover" Earth-Like in approx 800 systems visited.

It's about 10,000 Ly from Sol, Earth-Like in a shared orbit with a ringed gas-giant, and the Earth-Like itself is also ringed with 2 pristine (of course) metallic rings. I think it's the holy grail of planets.

-- Pete.

Lucky! I found one similar, though the mass is higher and I can't remember if the rings are metallic. Though the one I found is much closer to home - only 350 or so LY out from the core worlds.

 

[Kancro Vantas]

I just got back to civilization on Sunday, after a 3 weeks trip to the PRAI HYPOO AA-A NEBULA -12,500 ly away- and have been tabulating and crunching my findings in the +1,200 systems I visited.

It is too early as I am still going through the data -15 million credits, first discovery bonus included- but between all worlds -Earth Like Planet, Water Worlds, Ammonia Based Life, Terraforming Candidates and Water Giants with Life- I found 192, combined.

Earth Like Planets = 5. And I was hunting for F,G,K to increase chances, but found at least 3 of those out of that range of stars. Still analyzing all the variables involved and the payouts, so bear with me.

Water Worlds are the most commons of the bunch. Followed by Giant Gas With Ammonia Based Life.

Also, the sector of the galaxy plays a role here, in the sense that many alike stars hang around in same spots. I just found 2 black holes, for instance, whereas tourists to Sag A* normally find tenths of those as they approach to the core.

What I mean is that the density of the possible stars with ELP is different according to sectors, which directly correlates with the chances of finding ELP's. That's the hypothesis I had and the reason why I stayed along the Orion Arm instead of heading center.

Well, not sure if 5 out of 1,200 systems represents any success or enhanced the chances -if you ask me, "Hell, No! It took forever to find those 5!" lol- but hope that once I'm done studying the data I brought, that my results shed lights on where to go find them next...and also anything else that might be juicy!!

 

[Allitnil]

I found my retirement world last night - and only my second "first to discover" Earth-Like in approx 800 systems visited.

It's about 10,000 Ly from Sol, Earth-Like in a shared orbit with a ringed gas-giant, and the Earth-Like itself is also ringed with 2 pristine (of course) metallic rings. I think it's the holy grail of planets.

Grats! Those are truly rare and I hope to find one some day, I'll even settle for rocky rings