New-Found Cornucopia of Expoplanets more than doubles our size in the Cosmos

[Gray_Fox_86]

Updated: Scores of Earth-like planets orbit sun-like stars scattered throughout the Milky Way, NASA scientists said today. This morning, the agency released data on more than 1,000 new exoplanets, and early indications are that 54 of them are at just the right distance from their stars to harbor life as we know it.

Today’s results more than double the exoplanet-candidate population, bringing the number of planet candidates identified by Kepler to 1,235. NASA needs to conduct follow-up observations to be sure their candidate planets are actually planets. So far, they are certain about 15 of them.

New-Found Cornucopia of Exoplanets More Than Doubles the Current Cosmic Census | Popular Science

So we have an idea but don't want to say what it is out there in our solar system.

 

[EnigmaO01]

New-Found Cornucopia of Exoplanets More Than Doubles the Current Cosmic Census | Popular Science

So we have an idea but don't want to say what it is out there in our solar system.

I think you mean galaxy don't you?

Not sure you can actually say though. Even the telescopes that are discovering these planets don't actually "see" a picture like you would imagine.

 

[Gray_Fox_86]

I think you mean galaxy don't you?

Not sure you can actually say though. Even the telescopes that are discovering these planets don't actually "see" a picture like you would imagine.

Yeah, I meant galaxy. Hehehe.

I know. They are seeing the light from a different era.......right?

 

[EnigmaO01]

Yeah, I meant galaxy. Hehehe.

I know. They are seeing the light from a different era.......right?

That's true but that not what I was referring to. You can't actually see these planets as they are too far. They extrapolating using data.

 

[Gray_Fox_86]

That's true but that not what I was referring to. You can't actually see these planets as they are too far. They extrapolating using data.

Right, right. And just imagine, the light they are getting now. Is millions if not billions of years old. So chances are the planets might not even be there anymore. Are you studying physics?

 

[EnigmaO01]

Right, right. And just imagine, the light they are getting now. Is millions if not billions of years old. So chances are the planets might not even be there anymore. Are you studying physics?

God no. Physics wasn't my thing in college.

Not sure if it would have to be millions or billions of years ago as light does travel at 186,000 miles per second. I would say some of the light coming from may be may be only thousands of years old. Isn't Alpha Centauri only 4.2 light years away?

Ever think we are actually experiencing time travel? That is, when we look at the stars we are looking back in time? If we had a telescope powerful enough to look at these planets, and we were observing beings on them we'd be looking back in time on them.

 

[Gray_Fox_86]

God no. Physics wasn't my thing in college.

Not sure if it would have to be millions or billions of years ago as light does travel at 186,000 miles per second. I would say some of the light coming from may be may be only thousands of years old. Isn't Alpha Centauri only 4.2 light years away?

Ever think we are actually experiencing time travel? That is, when we look at the stars we are looking back in time? If we had a telescope powerful enough to look at these planets, and we were observing beings on them we'd be looking back in time on them.

I actually was thinking that the light that hits us from these planets or stars or galaxies. Is determined by how far away it is from Earth. So if something is a 4.2 light years away the light that hits us is 4.2 years old. So everytime we see it with a telescope its 4.2years old for all telescopes.

And the nearest galaxy: Andromeda is 2.5million light years away. And that light takes 2.5 million:shock: years for it to travel to our planet. So you

So it all depends. Basically here is how it works: 1 light year, 1 year, 2 million light years, 2 million years, 1 billion light years, 1 billion years....for light to travel to planet Earth. So yes we are experiencing time travel. Because most of the light we see is in the past. And I mean PAST.

 

[Deuce]

What makes this so ridiculously awesome is that there's actually only a very small chance we can even detect one of these planets. They're found by detecting the very small amount of light they block when passing across their star, but this only works if that orbit happens to line up with earth exactly. For an earth-sized planet around a sun-sized star, the chance of this orbit aligning properly is only 0.5%.

So, the thousands of planets/planet-candidates detected? Tip of the ****in iceberg. Planets are everywhere.

We are most certainly not alone in this universe.

 

[Goshin]

What makes this so ridiculously awesome is that there's actually only a very small chance we can even detect one of these planets. They're found by detecting the very small amount of light they block when passing across their star, but this only works if that orbit happens to line up with earth exactly. For an earth-sized planet around a sun-sized star, the chance of this orbit aligning properly is only 0.5%.

So, the thousands of planets/planet-candidates detected? Tip of the ****in iceberg. Planets are everywhere.

We are most certainly not alone in this universe.

A rare event has occurred: Deuce and I agree on something. :mrgreen:

 

[spud_meister]

We are most certainly not alone in this universe.

Of course not, you didn't think politicians came from earth did you?

 

[Tashah]

A few comments on exoplanets and life "as we know it"...

Such planets must reside within the galactic habitable zone (neither too near nor too far from the galactic center)
Such planets must exist within a solitary star system
Such planets must reside within the local system habitable zone (which differs according to star classification)
Such planets must exhibit a low-eccentricity solar orbit
Such planets must possess water in abundant quantity
A shepard moon like ours is probably a necessity for various reasons

 

[EnigmaO01]

Are you sure about the solitary star aspect? I was under the impression that binary star systems count too.

 

[Goshin]

Are you sure about the solitary star aspect? I was under the impression that binary star systems count too.

Depends. If the binary stars are far enough apart it won't make much difference. If they're relatively close together it can be a problem for habitable planet odds.

At least as far as we know right now... and the exoplanet studies are revealing that we don't know nearly as much as we thought we did.

 

[spud_meister]

Are you sure about the solitary star aspect? I was under the impression that binary star systems count too.

Have you not seen Star Wars? Everyone knows that Tatooine sucks, would you want to live there?

 

[Hicup]

A few comments on exoplanets and life "as we know it"...

Such planets must reside within the galactic habitable zone (neither too near nor too far from the galactic center) - Why?
Such planets must exist within a solitary star system - Why?
Such planets must reside within the local system habitable zone (which differs according to star classification) - Inutitively I say I agree, but that would only be true if other forms of life (Silicon) exist outside our own habitable zone, correct?
Such planets must exhibit a low-eccentricity solar orbit - Why?
Such planets must possess water in abundant quantity - Again, as far as we know water is essential to life here?
A shepard moon like ours is probably a necessity for various reasons. - What reasons would these be?

So I'm really just wondering why you suggest that these are things we know?

Tim-

 

[Goshin]

So I'm really just wondering why you suggest that these are things we know?

Tim-

Well, if you want to consider life with radically different properties than what we know here on Earth, then anything is possible. Helium II based creatures that live on Pluto, and whose biochemistry is so slow it takes them half a day to decide whether they need to excrete or not. :mrgreen:

But, life-as-we-know-it (or pretty close) is of more intrest to us. We're more likely to be able to communicate and interact. We're more likely to find planets that WE consider habitable. The closer an exoplanet is to Earthlike conditions, typically the greater the likelihood of carbon-based, oxygen-dependent life similar to our own.

 

[spud_meister]

whose biochemistry is so slow it takes them half a day to decide whether they need to excrete or not. :mrgreen:

Oh, so that's not normal? :3oops:

 

[Hicup]

Well, if you want to consider life with radically different properties than what we know here on Earth, then anything is possible. Helium II based creatures that live on Pluto, and whose biochemistry is so slow it takes them half a day to decide whether they need to excrete or not. :mrgreen:

But, life-as-we-know-it (or pretty close) is of more intrest to us. We're more likely to be able to communicate and interact. We're more likely to find planets that WE consider habitable. The closer an exoplanet is to Earthlike conditions, typically the greater the likelihood of carbon-based, oxygen-dependent life similar to our own.

I like the idea of Helium based creatures. We could suck them dry, and call them names in funny voices..


Tim-

 

[spud_meister]

We could suck them dry, and call them names in funny voices..


Tim-

*must not say, must not say, must not say* :doh:

 

[Hicup]

*must not say, must not say, must not say* :doh:

hehehe...


Tim-

 

[Walter]

New-Found Cornucopia of Exoplanets More Than Doubles the Current Cosmic Census | Popular Science

So we have an idea but don't want to say what it is out there in our solar system.

Since when is Science decided by a "Consensus"? Just a few years ago the supposed scientific consensus determined that the earth was flat and the center of the solar system with the sun orbiting the earth...just say'n, does it matter what the consensus OPINION holds? Today's science is more in line with philosophy than physical science.

 

[spud_meister]

Since when is Science decided by a "Consensus"? Just a few years ago the supposed scientific consensus determined that the earth was flat and the center of the solar system with the sun orbiting the earth...just say'n, does it matter what the consensus OPINION holds? Today's science is more in line with philosophy than physical science.

:lol: That was never a scientific consensus, no-one in Europe had believed in a flat earth since pre-classical Ancient Greece.

 

[Tashah]

So I'm really just wondering why you suggest that these are things we know?

Such planets must reside within the galactic habitable zone (neither too near nor too far from the galactic center) - Why?

Ambient radiation levels.

Such planets must exist within a solitary star system - Why?

The gravitational influences in a binary system tend to wreak havoc on a climatic system.

Such planets must reside within the local system habitable zone (which differs according to star classification) - Inutitively I say I agree, but that would only be true if other forms of life (Silicon) exist outside our own habitable zone, correct?

For life as we know it, temperature has parameters.

Such planets must exhibit a low-eccentricity solar orbit - Why?

Far too much temperature fluctuation in highly-eccentric (elliptical) orbits.

A shepard moon like ours is probably a necessity for various reasons. - What reasons would these be?

Most people do not appreciate the value of tidal forces.

 

[Goshin]

Since when is Science decided by a "Consensus"? Just a few years ago the supposed scientific consensus determined that the earth was flat and the center of the solar system with the sun orbiting the earth...just say'n, does it matter what the consensus OPINION holds? Today's science is more in line with philosophy than physical science.

Census, as in cumulative count... not "consensus".

 

[Temporal]

It's great that we're finding out that planets like our exists out there, but aside from that I don't see the point of determining whether or not we can actually live on them. We can't get to those planets and the likelihood of us developing that technology before oil runs out is pretty much nil. As long as the direction of our species is determined by what is profitable, we will never go to the stars.