Planet-hunters find bonanza of new solar systems

06-02-2007, 04:30 PM

Planet-hunters find bonanza of new solar systems

POSTED: 12:56 p.m. EDT, May 29, 2007

Story Highlights
• 28 new planets found outside our solar system in the past year
• Scientists: There could be billions of habitable planets out there
• Four of the solar systems have multiple planets
• "Our home is not a rarity in the universe" says astronomer Geoffrey Marcy

piercehawkeye45 · 06-02-2007, 07:54 PM

It isn't very important to our society but very interesting.

Keep star gazing boys.

Beestie · 06-02-2007, 08:59 PM

News like that is very exciting. But sort of disappointing in a way since I know we won't get to explore them in my lifetime. Probably the same way that Galileo felt.

lumberjim · 06-02-2007, 10:48 PM

and if there are many more habitable worlds, you gotta figure that they contain life. and chances are that they contain intelligent life.

BUT...

the distance. it just may be that we'll never be able to span the gap. and maybe they can't either.

I always assume that the sheer odds of it all practically assures the eventuality of 'other life' ....other sentient life. and the vastness of our own little history says to me that other civilizations on other worlds MUST have advanced far beyond our current level of technology. I'd think that if it were possible....they must have been able to travel between stars....

and then the odds begin to work against me.....why would space travelers stop here? what are the odds that they'd notice us and visit?

and then there's those cave paintings in south america to consider.

and the missing link......i think that maybe they HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE

and just maybe we're descended from them .......

sooooo much to look forward to...assuming we don't blow it and collapse into savagery again....like we do.

lumberjim · 06-02-2007, 10:55 PM

scroll way down

Aliantha · 06-02-2007, 10:56 PM

woooohoooo! We're saved.

Ibby · 06-02-2007, 11:00 PM

LJ?

That's fucking hilarious.

Cyclefrance · 06-03-2007, 12:31 AM

I often wondered where he really came from:

.

TheMercenary · 06-03-2007, 07:00 AM

MTV short series, "The Head", great flick.

Urbane Guerrilla · 06-04-2007, 02:12 AM

Well, let's see: any saucerians taking an interest in our globe are going to have to remotely sense two things: an atmosphere containing free oxygen, and liquid water. Spectroscopically, they'll probably detect water vapor before any liquid water, but free O2 is a dead giveaway. The gas is maintained only through biogenesis. A dead world at our temperature and mass would exhibit an atmosphere of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, likely with just a pinch of argon. This is the sort of thing you'd find around a Population I main-sequence dwarf star. Population II stars are so metals-poor that the likelihood of rocky planets orbiting them shrinks drastically.

lizzymahoney · 06-04-2007, 07:38 AM

It's a very big leap, a huge effin leap, a ginormously unbelievable leap, to think that because there are theoretically habitable planets that sentient life would evolve. Rein it in a little. We may be amoebas in a swarm of interstellar life, but we don't know that as of now.

It's very cool that there are other planets that may be conducive to life.

Pure science is beneficial to us. The import may not be clear yet, but things like encouraging others to pursue sciences pure and applied, the gains in technology and analysis, and potential tangents for the research are all benefits.

xoxoxoBruce · 06-04-2007, 07:45 AM

Just finding a place where it could happen, is a giant step from speculating there must be a place out there somewhere.

piercehawkeye45 · 06-04-2007, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Just finding a place where it could happen, is a giant step from speculating there must be a place out there somewhere.

This is true but hopefully as we get better technology we can find more planets that could potentially hold life. Right now, finding those types of planets are extremely hard if not impossible.

06-02-2007, 04:30 PM	#1
rkzenrage Guest Posts: n/a	Planet-hunters find bonanza of new solar systems Planet-hunters find bonanza of new solar systems POSTED: 12:56 p.m. EDT, May 29, 2007 Story Highlights • 28 new planets found outside our solar system in the past year • Scientists: There could be billions of habitable planets out there • Four of the solar systems have multiple planets • "Our home is not a rarity in the universe" says astronomer Geoffrey Marcy

06-02-2007, 08:59 PM	#3
Beestie -◊\|≡·∙■·∙≡\|◊- Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Parts unknown. Posts: 4,081	News like that is very exciting. But sort of disappointing in a way since I know we won't get to explore them in my lifetime. Probably the same way that Galileo felt. __________________ ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦

06-02-2007, 10:56 PM	#6
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	woooohoooo! We're saved. __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

06-02-2007, 11:00 PM	#7
Ibby erika Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: "the high up north" Posts: 6,127	LJ? That's fucking hilarious. __________________ not really back, you didn't see me, i was never here shhhhhh

06-03-2007, 12:31 AM	#8
Cyclefrance Pump my ride! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Deep countryside of Surrey , England Posts: 1,890	I often wondered where he really came from: . Attached Images __________________ Always sufficient hills - never sufficient gears

06-02-2007, 07:54 PM	#2
piercehawkeye45 Franklin Pierce Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,695	It isn't very important to our society but very interesting. Keep star gazing boys.

06-02-2007, 10:48 PM	#4
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	and if there are many more habitable worlds, you gotta figure that they contain life. and chances are that they contain intelligent life. BUT... the distance. it just may be that we'll never be able to span the gap. and maybe they can't either. I always assume that the sheer odds of it all practically assures the eventuality of 'other life' ....other sentient life. and the vastness of our own little history says to me that other civilizations on other worlds MUST have advanced far beyond our current level of technology. I'd think that if it were possible....they must have been able to travel between stars.... and then the odds begin to work against me.....why would space travelers stop here? what are the odds that they'd notice us and visit? and then there's those cave paintings in south america to consider. and the missing link......i think that maybe they HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE and just maybe we're descended from them ....... sooooo much to look forward to...assuming we don't blow it and collapse into savagery again....like we do.

06-02-2007, 10:55 PM	#5
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	scroll way down

06-03-2007, 07:00 AM	#9
TheMercenary “Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savannah, Georgia Posts: 21,393	MTV short series, "The Head", great flick. __________________ Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!

06-04-2007, 02:12 AM	#10
Urbane Guerrilla Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Southern California Posts: 6,674	Well, let's see: any saucerians taking an interest in our globe are going to have to remotely sense two things: an atmosphere containing free oxygen, and liquid water. Spectroscopically, they'll probably detect water vapor before any liquid water, but free O2 is a dead giveaway. The gas is maintained only through biogenesis. A dead world at our temperature and mass would exhibit an atmosphere of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, likely with just a pinch of argon. This is the sort of thing you'd find around a Population I main-sequence dwarf star. Population II stars are so metals-poor that the likelihood of rocky planets orbiting them shrinks drastically. __________________ Wanna stop school shootings? End Gun-Free Zones, of course.

06-04-2007, 07:38 AM	#11
lizzymahoney Major Inhabitant Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 124	It's a very big leap, a huge effin leap, a ginormously unbelievable leap, to think that because there are theoretically habitable planets that sentient life would evolve. Rein it in a little. We may be amoebas in a swarm of interstellar life, but we don't know that as of now. It's very cool that there are other planets that may be conducive to life. Pure science is beneficial to us. The import may not be clear yet, but things like encouraging others to pursue sciences pure and applied, the gains in technology and analysis, and potential tangents for the research are all benefits.

06-04-2007, 07:45 AM	#12
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Just finding a place where it could happen, is a giant step from speculating there must be a place out there somewhere. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

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