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chaosmage comments on Can we make Drake-like Fermi estimates of expected distance to the next planet with primitive, sentient or self-improving life? - Less Wrong Discussion
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Comments (12)
This has already been downvoted into invisibility, but still I'll say here that I've found this list, which gives 55 systems within 5 parsecs around us. With a bit of work, current estimates of the probability of habitable or inhabited planets could be compiled from this.
More importantly, I learned that the ESPRESSO project is going to collect far better data than we currently have, starting in 2017. If I don't misunderstand the specs too badly, ESPRESSO should be able to tell us fairly definitely where in these (and more) systems there are planets with sizes and orbits that make them habitable. And from 2022, the E-ELT will help us learn more about their chemical compositions and probable weather patterns. From what I understand about theories of planetary habitability, these data should be enough to see where, if at all, to suspect neighbors.
I'm very happy this research is being done.
Will still take 2-3 orbital periods of the prospective worlds to be sure of them... but yeah, I'm thrilled at the astronomy research happening lately.