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Four Earth-sized planets detected orbiting the nearest sun-like star

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Re: Four Earth-sized planets detected orbiting the nearest sun-like star

#231

Post by jessaustin »

ExactoKnight wrote: post #181
JCharante wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always thought the big deal of finding life on other planets would be to deal a major blow to creationism.

Even a negative finding holds important implications: if we successfully survey all of the exoplanets within 100 to 1000 light years and find no life or anything even close being habitable for humans, then it would gravely inform us of the ways in which we must preserve the Earth that we have.

...and also it would be cited by creationists as proof that they're right.

Re: Four Earth-sized planets detected orbiting the nearest sun-like star

#232

Post by kobeya »

hueving wrote: post #128
ExactoKnight wrote: post #101

I am flabbergasted that as a society we aren't rushing to build a 100 metre wide telescope mirror large enough for us to directly image the spectra of the potentially habitable exoplanets around us. A telescope this large could tell us whether any of these potentially habitable planets contain oxygen, and thus, biological processes. Yet thanks to funding cuts in science the biggest telescope we have in the pipeline r…

>I am flabbergasted that as a society we aren't rushing to build a 100 metre wide telescope mirror large enough for us to directly image the spectra of the potentially habitable exoplanets around us. This is because most of society is still struggling with day-to-day tasks like getting housing, clean water, reliable food, healthcare and dealing with physical conflicts. Even people rich enough to not be stuck in the s…

Whataboutism. We shouldn't be held back to the lowest-common-denominator.

Re: Four Earth-sized planets detected orbiting the nearest sun-like star

#233

Post by deepGem »

Unlike more common smaller stars, such as the red dwarf stars Proxima Centauri and Trappist-1, they are not so faint that planets would be tidally locked, showing the same side to the star at all times.

In such planets, the most habitable zone is around an equator like region where the light and dark regions kind of merge to produce a reddish sunset like hue all through the day. I think one of the planets that Kepler discovered is like that. Life would evolve to absorb these light wavelengths. So for instance plants would all look black. Nova has a great episode on these exoplanets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HZsFMqqGJo&t=793s

Re: Four Earth-sized planets detected orbiting the nearest sun-like star

#234

Post by wtvanhest »

andy_ppp wrote: post #227
aptwebapps wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you mean by the two types of technology converging?

Launching huge telescopes (and possibly assemble them) into space...?

No, I mean ground based telescope tech and space based tech. Both have different limits and advantages.

Re: Four Earth-sized planets detected orbiting the nearest sun-like star

#235

Post by jessaustin »

imron wrote: post #216
andrepd wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is that if you can convince people to demand a budget cuts for the military, they will almost surely demand to allocate the funds to more pressing needs than space exploration. Most people would sooner want that money spend on things that could improve their lives in a tangible and immediate way than spend it on something that does not benefit them directly in any way.

I guess we need to discover life on another planet, to convince the military to start spending its budget on space related technology.

Since money is what motivates the military-industrial complex, we only need to decide that all future telescopes will be built by armaments manufacturers, because after all the aliens could be planning a preemptive strike. Then all sorts of senators, lobbyists, etc. will be trying constantly to increase telescope spending.

Re: Four Earth-sized planets detected orbiting the nearest sun-like star

#236

Post by Retra »

ExactoKnight wrote: post #195
jerf wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And the answer is if you accomplished a miracle and cut military spending in half and freed up 8% of the federal budget, there would be a rioting mob charging towards the money... no... that doesn't really capture how much we're talking here... there would be a rioting mob charging the suddenly-available huge pile of MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY and there's very little reason to believe space exploration would be an…

Having near certain evidence of life existing on another planet, due to seeing oxygen present in the emission spectra of an atmosphere of another planet, would be a true game changer for space probe and exploration funding. Astronomy funding stagnates when its about rocks and geology. Bring real evidence of aliens into the mix and you've defined humanities focus for the next century.

If we discovered actual humans on a near-exact clone of earth, we'd still be about 50,000 years from something relevant here on Earth. Outer space is staggeringly expansive. Staggeringly. Like "your space probe is sad joke" expansive.

We could develop our own alien life right on Earth within that timeframe.

Re: Four Earth-sized planets detected orbiting the nearest sun-like star

#238

Post by anchpop »

ExactoKnight wrote: post #135
rsync wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Anatomically modern humans have lived on Earth for 200,000 years, and the creatures we descended from have lived on Earth for 541 million years. Stuff as dumb as the moon cycles affect us. How are we going to live somewhere that isn't exactly Earth?" To further your (good) point about gravitational and diurnal differences, it is worth also considering the experience of native americans in the face of novel (to them)…

It depends wouldn't it? If the biology and chemistry of those organisms prove to be completely different (e.g, by not being carbon based), then couldn't their bacteria prove to be utterly inert in relation to our bodies?

yeah, if diseases have trouble transferring to us from animals, I find it doubtful they will spread to us from aliens

Re: Four Earth-sized planets detected orbiting the nearest sun-like star

#239

Post by jessaustin »

ExactoKnight wrote: post #135
rsync wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Anatomically modern humans have lived on Earth for 200,000 years, and the creatures we descended from have lived on Earth for 541 million years. Stuff as dumb as the moon cycles affect us. How are we going to live somewhere that isn't exactly Earth?" To further your (good) point about gravitational and diurnal differences, it is worth also considering the experience of native americans in the face of novel (to them)…

It depends wouldn't it? If the biology and chemistry of those organisms prove to be completely different (e.g, by not being carbon based), then couldn't their bacteria prove to be utterly inert in relation to our bodies?

Earth parasites attack us because they have evolved to do so. If alien analogues of parasites did so, it would just be a completely random thing.

Re: Four Earth-sized planets detected orbiting the nearest sun-like star

#240

Post by diogenescynic »

ExactoKnight wrote: post #101

I am flabbergasted that as a society we aren't rushing to build a 100 metre wide telescope mirror large enough for us to directly image the spectra of the potentially habitable exoplanets around us. A telescope this large could tell us whether any of these potentially habitable planets contain oxygen, and thus, biological processes. Yet thanks to funding cuts in science the biggest telescope we have in the pipeline r…

Meanwhile, some of the smartest and most highly paid people are trying to figure out ways to get people to click more ads. Seems like we are sure squandering our limited time and resources as a species.
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