We are not alone.

More evidence came out yesterday that the possibility for friends is out there. An international team of researchers including astronomers (73 scientists from 12 different countries) discovered the smallest planet detected outside of our solar system.

The planet is just 21,500 light years away and an estimated 5.5 times the mass of Earth. Don't believe the CBN hype that we are alone. Not sure what everyone is believing these days, but I am of the belief that the universe is an infinite or infinite space-time continuum in which all matter and energy exists. In the past 12 years, astronomers have logged at least 170 new planets, according to records at the Paris Observatory.

So, the universe is endless, no stopping. While it makes my head hurt to think about the idea that there is no limits to space it seems like a concept pretty much accepted by a majority of the scientific community. I think that there is much more than the 170 planets its just our technology hasn't gotten to the point were they can be observed. So what we can see becomes the universe or observable universe. There is also that whole cosmic inflation thing about how the universe is actually expanding driven by a negative pressure vacuum energy density. But I don't really understand all that. Ok enough of the Donnie Darko stuff for today.

All I know is that in honor of this monumental discovery I am going to name my first child (when I have one) after the planet. OGLE-2005-BLG-390L b she shall be named! Just rolls off the tongue right? It will be Ogle2005 for short, of course.

Links:
Search Finds Far-Off Planet Akin to Earth
by Dennis Overbye (Ny Times)
Discovery of Earth-like planet brings hope of finding alien life
by Steve Connor (The Independent)
Gains in the quest for Earth-size planets
by Peter N. Spotts (The Christian Science Monitor)