The discovery of a habitable planet in our lifetimes

[PlutonianEmpire]

Cliche question (or not), but, could there be a confirmation of the existence of an earth-like planet orbiting another star (or stars) that is truly earth-like in our lifetimes?

[Reiko]

I'm no scientist but I think it will happen. Hope anyways.

[Hungry4info]

That depends on several things. They would have to exist of course, and they would have to be common enough for one to be nearby. It seems quite likely that terrestrial exoplanet atmospheres will begin to be characterized soon. Some proposals have been issued to use Spitzer to try and detect some of the close terrestrial exoplanets. As technology progresses and more nearby terrestrial exoplanets are known, we'll start to sample atmospheres of exoplanets that orbit farther from their star, perhaps far enough to be habitable. The HARPS GTO programme has determined that at least 30% of solar-like stars in the neighborhood host a sub-Jovian mass planet in orbital periods < 30 days. Furthermore, there is expected to be a huge population of low mass exoplanets beyond that which can be detected.

I would say that within the next 20-30 years, we'll have a good idea what some of the atmospheres of nearby terrestrial exoplanets are like. We'll be able to say "Yes, that one appears habitable" or "No, that one is choking in carbon dioxide and sulfur" (for example). How soon it will be before an Earth-like planet is found will depend on how common they are.

[PlutonianEmpire]

20 to 30 years? I doubt that I'll live that long, considering my current lifestyle. Neither do I wanna wait that long. (no offense)

[Hungry4info]

Oh I certainly hope it's sooner too