Nearly Three Dozen New Planet Discovered

[blade2k5 1,523]

Article from Space.com

Looks like we're getting closer and closer to finding another Earth.  There is no doubt in my mind that the Universe is littered with Earth-like planets and that life is abundant throughout the Universe.

[Muck308 55]

(Earth's orbit is 365 days).quote>

Wow. You learn something new everyday...

I agree, Blade. The universe seems too vast for anyone other than us to be here.

[Duke87 1,070]

Problem is, by current methodologies, we can detect their presence and approximate their mass and orbital period (and thus calculate their mean distance from the parent star), but none of that really demonstrates that they're anywhere near habitable - do they have a magnetic field, an atmosphere, liquid water, etc.

Then again, in the future we may find ways of determining those things (ultimately that may mean sending something there).

Of course, what nobody really considers ever is that we could totally be barking up the wrong tree. Things like liquid water and all that are necessary ingredients for life as we know it... but who's to say we won't find life out there that will be completely different? After all, it's happened before. There was a time where it was believed that all life on earth depended on the sun. Well, then we discovered entire ecosystems centered around heat and minerals geothermal vents deep on the ocean floor - previously assumed to be impossible because there's no sunlight at that depth - and it utterly turned our understanding of biology upside down.

Given that, it's not outrageous to think that there is life in other star sytems - but that when we discovered it's going to be hiding in some corner of the universe in absolutely the last place we'd expect to find it, and it's going to work in ways we never imagined.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

The conclusion is rather obvious, since there are jillions and jillions of stars and other objects in the universe.

In spite of all this, what is happening to further the cause of getting to even the nearest goldilocks zone planet of another star?  Rocketry isn't going to do it.

Has anyone really observed a Tachyon particle, or is it just an outgrowth of wild ass scientific speculation?  What's happening in String Theory that has any practical application?  Has anyone physically observed a worm hole or even a quantum black hole and lived to tell of it?  Hah!

[Easy Bakes 253]

Go Science!

Now I called Orbits but there are no flights yet.

[Patricius Maximus 236]

I am pleased at this string of discoveries. Finding planets in the habitable zone is nothing new -- in fact, many water-cloud jovian planets (which may have earth-like moons) as well as a few low-mass planets (such as Gliese 581 c) have been found in the habitable zone. The trick is finding a low-mass planet in such a far-out orbit that it won't be like Venue, and in such a close-in orbit that it won't be like Mars.

The closer to the middle it is, the more likely it'll be like Earth. And undoubtedly with this large of a sample size we will amass in the next 5 years, we will find a low-mass planet in the middle of the habitable zone of some star. If we're lucky and it transits the star, we can measure the atmosphere spectroscopically, and if it has an earth-like atmosphere, boy will we all be excited. A probe will have to be sent.

Originally posted by: Duke87

Of course, what nobody really considers ever is that we could totally be barking up the wrong tree. Things like liquid water and all that are necessary ingredients for life as we know it... but who's to say we won't find life out there that will be completely different? After all, it's happened before. There was a time where it was believed that all life on earth depended on the sun. Well, then we discovered entire ecosystems centered around heat and minerals geothermal vents deep on the ocean floor - previously assumed to be impossible because there's no sunlight at that depth - and it utterly turned our understanding of biology upside down.quote>

Yes, I do think that we could (and probably will) find forms of life that defy expectations on planets we thought it could never survive. We may find life not based on water and carbon, for instance. But, this also brings in practical constraints.

I believe that searching for planets like our own is a good place to start, since we already know that life exists in such an environment, and if we can find another of these environments, then life may be there.

Given that, it's not outrageous to think that there is life in other star sytems - but that when we discovered it's going to be hiding in some corner of the universe in absolutely the last place we'd expect to find it, and it's going to work in ways we never imagined.

quote>

If the extrasolar discoveries so far are any indication, it will probably turn all of our theories and assumptions upside-down and force us to rethink them in light of new data. This is a good thing -- it is what separates science from faith.

[duack 14]

I think when looking for life in other planets, it doesn't necassarily have to have water. Also, does life even have to be carbon based? Because if life started as a lightning bolt that struck inorganic carbon which made it organic (urrey miller experiment) then it could occur with other molecules couldn't it?

Anywho this is all very exciting. My favourite two science subjects are astronomy and biology so this is like both rolled into one!

[Larks2242 251]

How cool would it be to find another earth!

[fukuda 351]

A probe will have to be sent.quote>

If you are ready to wait 300 000 years (at best) before it reaches its target...

[saltandsauce 0]

well, we could send a radio signal and wait for a reply in about 40 years or something (if we know where the planet is we can send a focused radio signal instead of beaming out a completley spherical signla (we can use a satellite dish thing to transmit)

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[Patricius Maximus 236]

Originally posted by: fukuda

A probe will have to be sent.quote>

If you are ready to wait 300 000 years (at best) before it reaches its target...quote>

...Using current technology. Technology for space propulsion over the next century will undoubtedly permit an increase in probe speed to a good fraction of the speed of light. There are so many ideas in breakthrough physics and experiments going on and planned, that it would be illogical to assume that nothing will come of all of it.

If we find an Earth-like planet orbiting a star, say, 20 light-years away, traveling at half the speed of light, it would take 40 years to get there. A long, but not impractical timescale.

[fukuda 351]

Technology for space propulsion over the next century will undoubtedly permitquote>

I already heard that one 60 years ago.. where are my flying cars and moon cities?

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: fukuda

I already heard that one 60 years ago.. where are my flying cars and moon cities?quote>

we're Whalers On The Moon,

we Carry A Harpoon,

for They Ain't No Whales

so We Tell Tall Tales

and Sing Our Whaling Tune

[crazychickensc12 84]

Originally posted by: blade2k5

Article from Space.com

Looks like we're getting closer and closer to finding another Earth.  There is no doubt in my mind that the Universe is littered with Earth-like planets and that life is abundant throughout the Universe.

quote>

I agree with you 100%, persuing a career in aerospace engineering this stuff really fascinates me haha

[sneakeypete 16]

300000 is an outlandish time even with current technology. Well, at least, with current technology employed in ways we've not done before (i mean, very large boosters once we get into space itself). Right now, all probes we've sent off have only just been going fast enough to escape the solar system, there's a lot more room in there for chemical boosters to make stuff go further faster.

[duack 14]

Sending a radio signal would be useless unless the life on the other planet has radio technology, and chances are they don't. Also, I don't see NASA investing much effort in sending a space probe that wont return anything for 300,000 years. i know they've sent one before but it wasn't a really important project.

On the topic of life being created, why I say life could be based on other chemicals than carbon is because at the start, life was hardly anything complicated. Basically, the so-called 'organic' molecules of carbon would consume photons from the sun and inorganic carbon from the air to grow. So you can think of it as a chemical reaction that invlolves the 'clumping' of carbon molecules if that helps to simplify it. Kind of like when a fire consumes other kinds of atoms and changes their structure in order to grow. Some fires last a few seconds, and some are older than life itself (the sun).

On the topic of fire - wouldn't it be cool if the life forms were arsenic based :-D

This is all very theoretical and unproven to be be correct or incorrect, but one thing I've learnt about science is that for every question answered, two questions are raised, so it just gets more and more complicated the more involved you get. That's one of the reasons why high school students today tend to hate science, since there's too much to learn. Anyway I should stop now before this post gets to long.

[Wrightguy0 40]

the universe is too big to have only us, why go through all the trouble if it's only one world, one group of people?

[your_adress_here 11]

I'd like to have my own planet I could walk around and be free on. Is there anywhere we can sign up?

[Patricius Maximus 236]

Well, statistically, and using current hypotheses about how life first developed from the raw materials of the universe, and knowing the current composition of the galaxy, it would be almost impossible to not have another habitable planet.

Originally posted by: your_adress_here

I'd like to have my own planet I could walk around and be free on. Is there anywhere we can sign up? quote>

Well, of the known ones, perhaps Mars or maybe a (hypothetical) moon of Gliese 581 d would suffice. Or you could just build your own space station, but then that wouldn't really be a planet .

[fukuda 351]

Originally posted by: saltandsauce

well, we could send a radio signal and wait for a reply in about 40 years or something (if we know where the planet is we can send a focused radio signal instead of beaming out a completley spherical signla (we can use a satellite dish thing to transmit)quote>

[Patricius Maximus 236]

Great diagram .

[Shadow Assassin 336]

They probably are monitoring our broadcasts.

What if these aliens out there are fans of Friends, for instance?

As for propulsion, I think current technology (ie. those probes exiting the solar system) can only travel at roughly 10% the speed of light, though I could be wrong - it could be more or less. I don't know.

[fukuda 351]

Originally posted by: Shadow_AssassinI think current technology (ie. those probes exiting the solar system) can only travel at roughly 10% the speed of light, though I could be wrong - it could be more or less. I don't know. quote>

Hmmm.. no.

Speed of light: roughly 300 000 km/s

Speed of interplanetary probes: roughly 18 km/s (Voyager)

18/300 000*100 = 0.006%

[Aro0w 1]

Originally posted by: Muck308

I agree, Blade. The universe seems too vast for anyone other than us to be here.quote>

ditto...

I doubt we will ever see these new planets in person tho.

And about that diagram above, that couldn't happen. the radio signals dissapate, it would probably just make it out past our solar system...

[blade2k5 1,523]

Originally posted by: fukuda

Technology for space propulsion over the next century will undoubtedly permitquote>

I already heard that one 60 years ago.. where are my flying cars and moon cities?quote>

That was 60 years ago when we barely knew our a$$ from a hole in the ground.  We've come a long, long ways since then so there's no reason not to belive we'll be spreading out through the solar system by the beginning of the 22nd century.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: blade2k5

Originally posted by: fukuda

Technology for space propulsion over the next century will undoubtedly permitquote>

I already heard that one 60 years ago.. where are my flying cars and moon cities?quote>

That was 60 years ago when we barely knew our a$$ from a hole in the ground.  We've come a long, long ways since then so there's no reason not to belive we'll be spreading out through the solar system by the beginning of the 22nd century.quote>

mabey, we still are very far from being able to create a self sustaining base/colony on another planet/The Moon.

We cant even make a permanent space station yet that will last more then a few years with out falling apart.

Something that they build on mars or the moon will have to be able to create its own air/food supply from local sources some how or it will be just another experiment.

I still think you would have no shortage of Volunteers for a one way trip to mars for a hands on scientific mission.

[blade2k5 1,523]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

mabey, we still are very far from being able to create a self sustaining base/colony on another planet/The Moon.

We cant even make a permanent space station yet that will last more then a few years with out falling apart.

Something that they build on mars or the moon will have to be able to create its own air/food supply from local sources some how or it will be just another experiment.

I still think you would have no shortage of Volunteers for a one way trip to mars for a hands on scientific mission.quote>

A lot can happen in 90 years, look at the past 90 and you'll see what I mean.  And if we go to Mars, I seriously doubt it'll be a one-way trip.

[sneakeypete 16]

We can make new things, we can't exactly change the laws of physics. Getting back from mars, while not impossible, will still be relativly hard compared to getting there.

well, unless we can use wormholes or something cool.

[Muck308 55]

No, we can't change the laws of physics. You're absolutley right.

However, our undertsnading of physics is dependant on a series of rules that we haven't exactly nailed yet. Before space travel and colonization can really take off, we need a Theory of Everything. We need to understand how the universe works and how space and time can be manipulated to suit us.

I am optimistic about this field of study. Shame none of it really makes any sense to me. But the reason it doesn't make sense is because we've got most of it wrong! We need to unlearn some things as well.