[meteorite-list] Scientists find most Earth-like planet yet

[valparint at aol.com]

My BS detector is buzzing like crazy. "They have not directly seen the 
planet" but somehow know that it has "balmy temperatures." What necromancy 
produced that result?

The composition of the atmosphere is critical to knowing the temperature 
of the planet - think Venus vs. Mars. If they didn't directly see the 
planet there is no way they can know anything about its atmosphere.

Paul Swartz

>European astronomers have spotted what they say is the
>most Earth-like planet yet outside our solar system, with balmy 
>temperatures
>that could support water and, potentially, life.
>
>They have not directly seen the planet, orbiting a red dwarf star called 
>Gliese
>581. But measurements of the star suggest that a planet not much larger 
>than the
>Earth is pulling on it, the researchers say in a letter to the editor of 
>the
>journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.