Planet Hunters Report Record-Breaking Discovery, Search for other habitable planets

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Jim1348

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Message 1401846 - Posted: 11 Aug 2013, 15:53:52 UTC

Even if there are earth-like planets, they would need to be at a comparable point of evolution for us to receive any signals. That is, if they are even 100 years less advanced, they would be sending no signals, and if they are even 1000 years more advanced, they might be sending no signals either (or in a form we would not understand).

For that matter, everyone seems to assume that advanced life forms will be zooming around in rocket ships and inhabiting large cities. I think it is at least as likely that advanced life may learn to subsist will less energy and mobility. The reasons you move around are mainly to get materials to support life, or information on where to get such materials. Advanced life will have all the knowledge available in the universe, and know how to live where they are. There probably won't be that much need for communications at a distance.
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Message 1402104 - Posted: 12 Aug 2013, 10:00:35 UTC - in response to Message 1401971.  

we never thought ? we never imagined ?



Sounds like the Universe alright...
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Larry Monske

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Message 1411613 - Posted: 5 Sep 2013, 2:55:15 UTC

Why are we going through all this expense of finding another earth? We can not go to these planets in a several thousand years just to explore them. I think its a waste of time because it will take technolgy a million years to catch up.Mankind has to harness asteroids and be able to move them. We have nothing in place. Even to find one and do something about a planet killer we havent a reliable way to do something. To do anything am asteroid has to nbe located out about jupiters orbit. If it comes out of the sun we wont see it. We have to do this or have something in place and a nuke isnt an answer then its a shotgun blast with multiple impactors and radioactive. We are so far away from these planets we could never get to them.
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Message 1411667 - Posted: 5 Sep 2013, 5:16:25 UTC

Human curiosity.
For the very same reason many years ago man decided to see what was the other side of the hill, then later the sea, now space
Bob Smith
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Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?
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Message 1411744 - Posted: 5 Sep 2013, 10:39:56 UTC

Humans are inquisitive species by nature. Unfortunately there are so many things that will remain a mystery cause we'll never be able to apprehend everything. Our minds just can't cope with things that are beyond comprehension.
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Message 1415965 - Posted: 15 Sep 2013, 14:31:16 UTC

It seems we all agree that there is at least millions of earth like planet in the universe and at least couple of thousand with all the earth feature (element, moon etc) So then we got two possibilities either go there or analyze from here. As some said above we did not yet confirm life on Mars so what about a planet hundred of light years from us! It will take time for human or robot to step a foot on another earth like planet outside solar system. Not in our life time that's for sure :-(

What makes SETI very very cool is that it opens a window of opportunity for human to evolve faster in a certain way. In fact if we intercept E.T. communication we may get new alien technology and accelerate rate of development. Also for us, we finally have a 100% proof that there is intelligent life in the universe. Ok we may not walk on that planet or have a two way communicate with them (in our life time) but at least listen/look to them.
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Message 1416447 - Posted: 16 Sep 2013, 17:07:18 UTC

Welcome to the boards, cania:)
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David W. Majors

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Message 1419789 - Posted: 24 Sep 2013, 19:55:32 UTC - in response to Message 1384789.  

Still too little data to go on yet. With all these planet discoveries it sometimes seems that we know more than we do.
While its clear now that at least most if not all single stars have planets the sheer number, and characteristics of these systems indicates that we know very little about planet formation dynamics. Certainly almost everything I learned in college about planetary formation and dynamics hasn't stood up.
Bear in mind that our observational techniques are still biased toward finding non-solar type systems. Giant planets very close to their stars or planets around very small massed stars.
Just a question to throw out there- Our solar system is dominated by Jupiter. With an orbital period of just under 12 years how far would the Sun have to be before we could not detect Jupiter gravitationally.
Kepler might detect a transit once but it would be 12 years before we could verify it.
I hesitate to speculate about how many Earths there are until we have a clearer idea of mass distributions.
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Message 1420435 - Posted: 26 Sep 2013, 6:23:03 UTC

I'm with you David. The present methods used to detect planets around distant stars can only find those that are within a narrow set of circumstances, basically short orbital periods. But even with limited parameters they are still finding a bunch of what are hopefully planets. When I was in college we were taught that only a very few (less than 10%) stars were suitable for supporting a planetary system. Now it looks as if it is the other way around. But knowing they are there is an even greater tease as we still have no way of determining through means of our own whether they are inhabited. So ET is still going to have to contact us if we hope to find out any time soon how alone we are.
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Message 1420460 - Posted: 26 Sep 2013, 8:00:23 UTC

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Message 1420549 - Posted: 26 Sep 2013, 15:44:17 UTC

It will soon be possible for us to detect free oxygen in the atmospheres of extra-solar planets. Since oxygen combines so readily with other elements, its presence on such a planet would signify a continuously replenished source. Everything we know indicates that this source would be living things.
It might even become possible to detect trace gases, such as nitrogen oxides, which are produced by technology.
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Message 1420553 - Posted: 26 Sep 2013, 15:50:05 UTC - in response to Message 1420549.  

I was reading in my Scientific American Mag a month or so ago that we can already detect elements in extrasolar planets. the technique used is similar to what we use on planets and moons in our solar system. We look at the reflected light from the planet as it passes behind its sun AUsing prismatic light we can see what element are present in its atmosphere


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Message 1420590 - Posted: 26 Sep 2013, 17:18:31 UTC
Last modified: 26 Sep 2013, 17:18:49 UTC

I wonder what percentage of stars have their planetary disc edge on to earth, which would be the only ones where this method of planet detection works. I also wonder if any other systems for planetary detection are possible, other than direct observation.
Bob DeWoody

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Message 1420662 - Posted: 26 Sep 2013, 20:17:12 UTC
Last modified: 26 Sep 2013, 20:19:06 UTC

Found an interesting article on it:

http://astro.unl.edu/naap/esp/detection.html

[edit]Kinda like that animation:)
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Message 1420766 - Posted: 26 Sep 2013, 23:01:12 UTC

Yes I know of those methods that have been used to detect a double star system but the article also says that no planets have been detected using any method other than the transit method. Unless by some odd coincidence most planetary discs are edge on to us we won't be able to confirm whether most stars have planets or not. And the word assume is not very scientific.
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Message 1420914 - Posted: 27 Sep 2013, 10:37:09 UTC
Last modified: 27 Sep 2013, 10:37:54 UTC

Even in science we need to make assumptions sometimes to get to the right answer...
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Profile William Rothamel
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Message 1420961 - Posted: 27 Sep 2013, 13:38:25 UTC
Last modified: 27 Sep 2013, 13:41:05 UTC

I am now wondering if a massive collision would be a requirement for intelligent life to form on an Earth-like planet. It seems that life-start on Earth dates just after the postulated collision that formed the moon. It is put forth that this collision blasted the existing atmosphere into space. Perhaps this would have rid the planet of poisonous gases such as methane which then allowed an atmosphere more conducive to life to emerge.

Each day the notion of "Earth-Like" becomes more and more rare and unlikely in my estimation.
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Message 1420992 - Posted: 27 Sep 2013, 15:43:12 UTC - in response to Message 1420961.  

I am now wondering if a massive collision would be a requirement for intelligent life to form on an Earth-like planet. It seems that life-start on Earth dates just after the postulated collision that formed the moon. It is put forth that this collision blasted the existing atmosphere into space. Perhaps this would have rid the planet of poisonous gases such as methane which then allowed an atmosphere more conducive to life to emerge.

Each day the notion of "Earth-Like" becomes more and more rare and unlikely in my estimation.


I've looked around a bit but couldn't find any references that indicate that the early atmosphere would have contained much methane. AFAIK the very early atmosphere, after the hydrogen and helium drifted away, would have been from gas emissions from the planet itself and asteroid and comet impacts. Mostly steam (H2O), carbon dioxide, nitrogen small amounts (less than 5% total) of chlorine and fluorine and only trace amounts of other stuff.

Pre-Biotic Earth

Do you have a link that would indicate the methane content would have been higher than trace amounts?
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Message 1420996 - Posted: 27 Sep 2013, 16:08:50 UTC

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Message 1421012 - Posted: 27 Sep 2013, 16:36:23 UTC - in response to Message 1420766.  

Yes I know of those methods that have been used to detect a double star system but the article also says that no planets have been detected using any method other than the transit method. Unless by some odd coincidence most planetary discs are edge on to us we won't be able to confirm whether most stars have planets or not. And the word assume is not very scientific.



I recall reading that Astronomers we able to deduce and infer a gas giant presence by the stars wobble. It is an indirect measurement. this work without needing to know which direction the planet is rotating because of the doppler effect.

the star will move side to side but also forward and back which can relatively easily be detected.


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Message boards : SETI@home Science : Planet Hunters Report Record-Breaking Discovery, Search for other habitable planets


 
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