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skyler827Jul 25, 2010
While this is very exciting, I don't think it's going to change the world like the discovery of America did. Those planets are light years away, and would take lifetimes to reach.
Closed AccountJul 25, 2010
Way to go buzz killington.
needzabettersnJul 26, 2010
Now would you like to hear a story about a bridge instead?
flyblackboxJul 26, 2010
If you move at the speed of light, time slows down so much for the passengers aboard, that they could theoretically grow only a year older on a 1000 year trip.
I saw it on Through The Wormhole with Morgan Freeman.
I think that this reply should offset the buzzkill beacause we
joecool1986Jul 26, 2010
Whoa. I think flyblackbox was just apprehended by a secret government agency.
rokusi666Aug 9, 2010
@flyblackbox it's more like 1 year for them is 2 years for everyone else, far far worse. we sadly may never get to other planets unless we can find some serious short cut
mstachiwJul 25, 2010
Pfff... not with these new FTL drives I got running.
takamalakJul 26, 2010
The secret is the drives don't move the ship, they move the universe around it.
paradigmxJul 26, 2010
so if I put one ship on one end of the universe, and you put another ship on the other end of the universe, and we both punched it at the same time, would we rip the universe in half?
strecherJul 26, 2010
That's mind bending experience. Wonder what do you see if are outside of the ship during that process?
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
Why would it be easier to move a goddamned universe rather than a single ship?
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
...Just realized no one said ENTIRE universe... my bad.
ichooseinternetJul 26, 2010
....and its a Futurama reference.....fix it, fix it, fix it, fix it, fix it, fix it.....fix it, fix it, fix it
rrouseJul 26, 2010
Billy Meier talks about Pleiadian ships that relocate by projecting the star pattern of where they want to be. That sounds like moving the universe around it.
azuvectorJul 26, 2010
I dunno, might spark interest in space drives, human hibernation, and so forth. Possibly from the richest country in the world, that tends to prefer to cut the miserable budget they allocate to space in favour of bombing small desert nations.
ghostalkerJul 26, 2010
When the colonists from Europe left for the new world, they knew they'd never see their home land again. It didn't stop them back then, it shouldn't stop our exploratory nature now. Figure out how to enable human hibernation (or some kinda cryo-sleep), build a colony ship, load it up with everything we'll need to be self-sufficient, and fire us into the void of space for the next few hundred years.
The colonists don't have to be the best/brightest, just people who want to start anew.. and there's plenty of them these days.
renorkJul 26, 2010
You don't really even need cryosleep, although it would help with many things.
All you really need is to build a large enough space station to accommodate a self sustaining population and then slap some propulsion on it. Yea, we wont be the first to colonize the new worlds but our children and grandchildren can be.
http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=1270
"Researchers are trying to figure out the ideal number of people needed to create a viable population for multi- generational space travel. They?ve decided it needs to be 160 people. But with some social engineering it might even be possible to reduce this to 80. "
http://edition.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/03/09/family.spacetravel/
Close blood relatives have the ideal organization and motivation to overcome the kinds of stresses likely to challenge deep-space missions extending two centuries or more, says University of Florida anthropologist John Moore.
And thus were born the great houses,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Family_Houses_in_Dune
predakonJul 26, 2010
haha, like a cancer. Let's hope there's no cure.
paradigmxJul 26, 2010
No, sorry, this country is too busy shoving it's head up it's own ass to care.
mnorton17Jul 26, 2010
If I were to sign up for something like that, would they give me a chick to repopulate with?
grazzhopperJul 26, 2010
@MNorton17 yeah a fat one, they are ideal for re population, so say the medical science.
askantikJul 26, 2010
What philosophical implications about finding alien life? If we find alien life that isn't more advanced than us, we'll exploit the s**t out of them for our own gain like we already do with all the other life on earth.
/pessimist
whirly5Jul 26, 2010
Sign me up
lacronicusJul 26, 2010
"When the colonists from Europe left for the new world, they knew they'd never see their home land again."
Well yeah, considering the "colonists" were only colonists because they never intended to see their homeland again.
The ones who actually discovered the "new world" only did so because it was in the way of what they were hoping would become a regular trade route between europe and asia. If american hadn't been in the way, regular trips would have been made within a year.
nova437Jul 27, 2010
There's no return on investment... Ever. Odds are once you go out that colony becomes a totally separate entity unless we really step up our game on FTL drives.
RobMc1991Jul 26, 2010
Ah stargates?.......dur!
arana67Jul 26, 2010
CHEVRON LOCKED
thandermaxJul 26, 2010
Too bad S-U is running currently :(
magnesJul 26, 2010
SGU is much better than Atlantis and better than most late SG-1.
jander86Jul 26, 2010
"Incoming wormhole, Sir."
"Close the Iris"
"We're getting a signal Sir, it's SG1."
"SG1 isn't due back for 14 hours, can you be sure it's them?"
"We have to assume so Sir, otherwise if they step through before..."
(Thud...thud, thud, thud)
"Ok, open the Iris."
3nder99Jul 26, 2010
Not to mention they are just earth sized, not earth atmosphere.
If we pointed out 140 earth sized planets in the universe every single day, our species would go extinct before we finished.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
wilywondrJul 26, 2010
"Up to 140 of the newly found planets are rocky and Earth-like containing both land and water, conditions which could allow simple lifeforms to develop."
Where did you see that they were earth-sized?
fearlessfreepJul 26, 2010
Where's the evidence they actually contain water?
dontthinksoJul 26, 2010
@Fearless
It depends on how we were able to see them. If we could only see them because they crossed in front of a star or something (ie: indirectly), then we wouldn't know. If we were able to see them directly, then we would automatically know the chemical composition of the planet's upper atmosphere.
remeloxJul 26, 2010
Actually, you can tell the chemical composition if something passes in front of a star, it's just a lot harder with a planet than it is with a gas cloud or another star.
clonedJul 26, 2010
You use spectroscopy to determine the chemical makeup of a planet or star. It's actually really interesting.
ghostwoJul 26, 2010
Many, many lifetimes. Even using gravitational assists with the sun, and reaching the highest speed yet attained, it would take about 19,000 years just to fly to the nearest star that's about 2,500 generations!. Even at 5% the speed of light (using theoretical engines), that journey would still take 89 years. To make matters worse, the nearest stars probably aren't even worth visiting. If/when we do find a second earth, it would likely take millions or even billions of years to get there.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
stap1egunJul 26, 2010
7.6 years is one generation?
wingmaster1Jul 26, 2010
You're buggin me out right now. What if the world suddenly ends right.... now! Or.... now! Or.... wait for it..................... NOW!
ghostwoJul 26, 2010
@staplegun:
Good catch. Got my numbers a bit mixed up. By the metric used in the article I referenced, a 19,000 year journey would take 625 generations. That's still a s**tload.
scarycloudsJul 26, 2010
We have a lot more than a million years until the Earth gets destroyed be the Sun. Though, due to the Sun becoming hotter Earth will be uninhabitable long before then. Still we've got an extremely long time. If we can't find a way to leave this solar system by the end of this century or next (even if it would take an extremely long time) then we don't deserve to continue on.
mra45Jul 26, 2010
I thought we had over a billion years until the sun craps out? And anyways, you don't know how fast we'll eventually manage to travel. Maybe one day it will only take a few years.
thandermaxJul 26, 2010
You forgot the relativity, Going in near light speed will render the time slower inside the ship. You could Theoretically you can reach farthest point in our universe in your lifetime by traveling in light speed, but can never comeback at current date.
source:
http://www.fourmilab.ch/cship/timedial.html
" If we continue to accelerate to 0.99999999999999 c, for every day on board, nearly twenty thousand years pass for the observer at rest."
glbernsJul 26, 2010
Don't worry. My warp drive is almost ready. By February, I'll be able to "boldly go where no one has gone before"
timoumdJul 26, 2010
If O2 shows up on the spectrometer, it will change a lot.
indigo2Jul 26, 2010
O2 find is encouraging but oxygen is not really a prerequisite for life as was thought earlier.
If we do find life it's not going to be anything we have out here on earth.
timoumdJul 26, 2010
Hish levels of O2 wouldnt just be encouraging it would be groundbreaking. O2 is highly unstable and likely requires life to sustain it. Sure life could exist without it, but if we did find it, we could be talking very strong evidence for extra-terrestrial life.
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
Prerequisite to find life, no it's not.
Prerequisite to support OUR kind of life (aka colony) Hell yes!
theinformerJul 26, 2010
Just say those planets are where you'll be able to get a hold of the iPhone 5 first, and I'm sure people will get there soon enough.
altorJul 26, 2010
Utilizing the untapped power of Steve Jobs' ego?
erenthiaJul 26, 2010
if we could reach a very high percentage of the speed of light the journey would appear to take less time from those on board. I'm no physicist, but I did read Childhood's End...
maizuruJul 26, 2010
Will it change the world? No. But what if, at some point, one of our telescopes spotted non-naturally occurring compounds in a planet's atmosphere which could, for example, only be explained by industrial pollution? What if light pollution from large cities were seen? Knowing that there is - or was - an alien civilization out there, might change the world a little. And when it happens, everyone's going to realise these aliens may have spotted us using the same methods. How do we feel about that?
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/blogs/the-search-for-alien-pollution
arkwaldJul 26, 2010
On the flip side it might make us more suicidal. I mean if we are no longer responsible for all intellect in the universe then it doesn't matter if we blow our selves up. Someone will survive and will notice us after we are gone.
timoumdJul 26, 2010
Ok so I was skeptical about the light pollution, thinking direct detection, but the spectrum of artificial light would likely be different and detectable. Interesting.
nova437Jul 27, 2010
timoumd,
If that's what that link says you just saved me 10 minutes. Thanks haha
korvan504521Jul 29, 2010
In that case its time to get some nukes, strap them to the biggest damn rockets and best guidance system, and send them on their merry way.
Do unto others before they do unto us, if you know what i mean. I've seen sci fi movies. Aliens are all evil.
jhsimpson0Aug 3, 2010
@Nova437 I really hope it doesn't take you 10 minutes to read those four short paragraphs.
zirchxworldJul 26, 2010
well, lifetimes for us anyway..
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
Dr. Weir: [laughing] The ship brought me back. I told you she won't let me leave - she won't let anyone leave. Did you really think you could destroy this ship? She's defied space and time. She's been to a place you couldn't possibly imagine. And now... it is time to go back.
trigonometronJul 31, 2010
KATE WE HAVE TO GO BAAAACK
tooooonJul 26, 2010
The discovery of America changed the world?
O.o You make it sound like finding it had an incredible automatic change....
freebird09Jul 26, 2010
Perhaps not in an instant, but yes, yes it did.
tommedwardsJul 26, 2010
No more so than other continents.
korvan504521Jul 29, 2010
There were a lot of major changes. One of them was that the massive influx of gold into europe let their economy take off.
culytJul 26, 2010
If you can't get to those planets in your lifetime, extend your lifetime.
hypedJul 26, 2010
you're*
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
Clearly what Skyler827 is saying is:
USA > Universe.
sirmeakyJul 26, 2010
We need to get Commander Shepard, I hear that the Normandy remake is pretty fast.
jaxxbatAug 8, 2010
maybe thats the point
gohabsgoAug 13, 2010
Hey guys. These places aren't necessarily as far away as they seem. If a spacecraft could be built that travels at relativistic speeds, ideally upwards of 95% of the speed of light, time would slow down significantly for the travelers on board. So even if from the perspective of us lonely Earthlings, the spacecraft would leave and not return in our lifetime, from the point of view of our brave explorers a 100 year journey would only last several months to several years. Definitely not a lifetime. However, when (or if) they ever returned to Earth, everyone they know would be long dead. They could have lunch with their great grandchildren. Trippy eh?
So. 95% the speed of light. How 'bout it NASA?
webchrisJul 25, 2010
When we look close at one of these "Earths" and see some satellites, now that will be exciting! The possibilies of finding other life in the Universe brings hope and intrigue. Could you imagine if we did find evidence of life light years away? What effect might that have on our lives knowing we are not alone in the Universe.
diceauJul 26, 2010
^ Not much ... unless it was intelligent and able to communicate with us from long range. Otherwise it's just too far away.
Might upset the religious types though.
boigboigJul 26, 2010
It might at first - but the Bible doesn't state that we are the only life He created. So, it wouldn't make a difference.
mrquackerJul 26, 2010
Actually...
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1356
hexrrJul 26, 2010
Then it's definitely worth it!
eihwazJul 26, 2010
Some months ago the Catholic Church already said they have nothing against aliens. If we ever find them, they'll be considered "sons of God" just like us humans.
I don't know what other religions think about this matter.
pinchduckJul 26, 2010
I never understood why people think that finding extraterrestrial life would upset religious types. Most Christian religions are based around missionary work, and finding life out there would give them a new zeal for space exploration. You would see the religious right get behind a huge funding push for NASA. It's nothing but upside for the religious. New missions, new crusades, new land and people to claim in the name of Christ and kill for not accepting him. Sure, a few would claim wacky stuff, like it's really a planet of demons or something like that, but most would love the chance to spread their meme.
mechamurlocJul 26, 2010
It would the whole created in his image for a loop. I mean does God look like humans or bug eyed aliens?
mdwstmusikJul 26, 2010
How do aliens get into Heaven? Did Christ die for their sins as well? Do they even have souls?
These are the types of questions with which Christians will have issues.
jacefuseJul 26, 2010
Christians preaching the story of the immaculate conception to an asexual alien race would lose some of its effectiveness.
testiculeseJul 26, 2010
Also don't forget the 'Earth is the center of the universe' fallacy.
skyscapeJul 26, 2010
The Bible says something like, "even if you create a nest for yourself among stars, I will still cast you back to earth" Technology wise we are not there yet, but we may be there in the near future. Whether there are aliens or not, we would probably do unto them as we do to others - Persecute and oppress. I think the avatar got it right.
mrquackerJul 26, 2010
Actually...
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1356
paradigmxJul 26, 2010
I am convinced that the only way humanity is going to change it's interest in space exploration and colonization is if an alien race directly interferes and hands us the technology we need.
The Hills is just far too important to miss...
jmull836Jul 26, 2010
*its
mattbdJul 26, 2010
What about if a technological singularity happened? In case you're unfamiliar, it's the idea that when we develop human-level AI we hand over the task of designing the next generation of AIs to them, and they can accomplish this quicker than we can, then the next, more advanced generation can design a third generation more quickly, and so on until we have ridiculously smart computers that can solve all sorts of tough problems for us. That would no doubt be enough to develop spacefaring technology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity
skyscapeJul 26, 2010
Humans will just give aliens an offer they cant refuse.
lolcoelacanthJul 25, 2010
Can we say sensationalist title?
dudeyeahbroJul 26, 2010
I could say that, but why would I?
breakawayJul 26, 2010
How else would it get to the front page?
timoumdJul 26, 2010
Um findings of 140 earth size planets? That is sensational. Lindsey Lohan in jail, not so much.
huseliusJul 26, 2010
Earth size isn't all that important. How about planets with breathable atmosphere and water?
timoumdJul 26, 2010
Sure it is. It could show that there are more than hot Jupiters. Earth size planets are likely crucial to sustaining life as we know it. Breathable air would be beyond sensational. That would be earth shattering news (since it would almost certainly confirm life as well).
walnut49Jul 26, 2010
"Sensationalist title."
I win.
crazedleperAug 2, 2010
How else to sell the atheist lie that you've evolved from nothing and have a glorious future exploring the stars ahead of you? If you believe any part of the story, you have absolutely no idea who or what you are or why you're here.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
whateverhesaidAug 2, 2010
"How else to sell the atheist lie that you've evolved from nothing"
And God said, "nothing up my sleeves", waved his hands and snapped his fingers and then - PRESTO! Man!
Tada!!!
mikeintoJul 25, 2010Submitter
I think the author took a few liberties by stating "found planets are rocky and Earth-like containing both land and water, conditions which could allow simple lifeforms to develop".
NASA scientist heads would explode due to extreme nerdgasms if this were true.
I know mine would.
slrarpJul 26, 2010
Actually, if they are the correct size and distance from a star, there is a safe bet to assume they are earth-like. When a planet forms, it solidifies as a rock at certain sizes and mass. This is why gigantic planets are gas-like, and small planets are rocky. Earth is at just the right amount to solidify but also hold gases and liquids on its surface.
It's also safe to assume that water would be present on planets this size due to the correct gases being present during a star's (and solar system's) formation. Without being too close to the sun, but just the right distance for water not to freeze, we have oceans. Also, by having the correct mass, it is able to hold an atmosphere and protect itself from most asteroids that have hammered other planets (moon included) into barren waist lands.
So all it really takes are conditions of mass and distance (from a star) for an Earth-like planet to form. If astronomers are able to see that those conditions are met, it most likely has the solidity and gases it needs for life to form naturally.
provostengJul 26, 2010
This article is ridiculous. If they are going to make extraordinary claims in this article they better have some solid sources to back it up. Land and water... right... sure.
http://kepler.nasa.gov/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler_Mission
freckleearsAug 7, 2010
To say we know anything about these planets is absurd. It is impossible to actually see them with current technology. Jupiter and our sun, Sol, orbit about a center outside of Sol. That is how they measure the mass of an exo-planet (they can also see a large planet pass in front of a star in the right condition). Our planet however, competes with even Uranus and Neptune for gravitational pull. Of the 4 planets and 10 odd satellites in our inner solar system, ALL but one are cooked rock. Lifeforms could indeed live on several other bodies in our solar system, but NOT ONE is earth like. Humans could indeed popular them, but not without protection and modification to our physiology for long term inhabitants.
For someone to assume that any minor wobble planet is earth like is insane. We will NEVER know if these planets are 'earth like' until we can see them. Telescopes won't be able to do this for a long time if ever. The brightness of a star trumps any planet as well as other EM wavelengths created by a star. Filtering them out would be VERY difficult at this current time in humanity. Maybe when we have ships outside even our stars heliosphere we will be able to see them better.
The resolution and precision of any of our EM telescopes is just not even close yet. Too much interference.
illestlyricsJul 26, 2010
My heart started beating fast when I read the title.
bruceleelennonJul 26, 2010
It is the signal deep within your DNA encoded with the desire to explore and find new discoveries in our beautiful universe.
Thus, the adrenaline takes you.
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
That you Carl Sagan?
marshalbananaJul 26, 2010
Yes, but it's probably more that he hasn't put his penis in a vagina.
cissystrutJul 26, 2010
*uses primate thumb to point back at 'self'*
zcloneJul 26, 2010
imagine they make a movie about it.
with a evil twist about the earth like planets
lethargicmonkeyJul 26, 2010
that's the plot of m. night shyamalamadingdong's next movie.
ishiguroJul 26, 2010
I call him that too.
jhsimpson0Aug 3, 2010
But one of these planets isn't who it says it is (the devil).
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
They made a TV show out of a premise like that - it was called Earth II. It sucked.
somejunkJul 26, 2010
I, for one, think the article was way too long and had way too many details. I'm SO glad they didn't mention how the Kepler telescope works, or how they know the planets are rocky, or the range of sizes on the planets.
/s
wilc3685Jul 26, 2010
Welcome to the Internet. Where you can search for almost anything.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/main/index.html
yourekinkyJul 26, 2010
Not much better...
hereticoftruthJul 26, 2010
Uh, just so you know, /s means sarcasm. Don't YOU think it would be better if science reporting actually included some details in their observations and interpretations rather than some generic gloss that provides the readers little or no news at all? Why should science reporting be contributing to the dumbing down of the public by wasting our time with vapid fluff?
wilc3685Jul 26, 2010
@YourKinky
Did you only read the first page that popped up? There's a whole side bar with links to much more information. Mission Overview, Search for Habitable Planets, Spacecraft and Instrument, Launch, Multimedia, News and Media Resources, Meet the Team.
olozopmJul 26, 2010
For all the visual learners:
http://www.ted.com/talks/dimitar_sasselov_how_we_found_hundreds_of_earth_like_planets.html
hereticoftruthJul 26, 2010
But that is what passes for science these days! Why won't you be a good little boy and just get along?
tsk05Jul 26, 2010
Science isn't written for newspapers. Reads journals if you want science.
wilc3685Jul 26, 2010
@hereticoftruth I am well aware of what /s means. If he was so upset that they didn't include enough information over the Kepler mission (I could tell this because of the sarcasm), he could easily go straight to the source. 1) This was an article online. 2) Most science that makes it to the news is made easier to understand for the general public (you can call it dumbing down if you want) 3) You are proving my point that you CAN go straight to the source if you want science reporting; the site I linked explains the mission very clearly I thought.
mrquackerJul 26, 2010
Even if they are out there, it will be one of three:
1) Stone age
2) Out tech level
3) Geniuses
Either way, none of it helps humans in any way. They are either too stupid or smart for us, or dont have the tech level needed to communicate.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
diskmaster23Jul 26, 2010
In addition, they would probably want to kill us if they did find out if we were here.
mrquackerJul 26, 2010
Bah, they'd enslave us and take our resources, its more efficient.
diskmaster23Jul 26, 2010
Digg me down all you want, but I didn't come up with the idea by myself. Stephen Hawking even said it. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0427/Stephen-Hawking-Aliens-may-not-come-in-peace
davidtcJul 26, 2010
Just knowing there is other life outside of our planet would be a huge discovery even if there was no way to communicate with them.
mrquackerJul 26, 2010
How would it change anything? I mean really.
The jews & arabs would still war, hunger poverty and disease would still be widespread, population would still stay booing, everything would still revolve around oil.
If anything it would just bring about more conflict, fear, and rhetoric.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
paradigmxJul 26, 2010
They found life on Mars a few years ago, people still don't give a f**k.
jesushimselfJul 26, 2010
Perhaps they require more vespene gas.
harabeckJul 26, 2010
If you play the odds it's actually:
1) Bacteria like life
2) Super advanced
rchargelJul 26, 2010
Or they are so far away that when we see them, they're already extinct. Think about it. If we see an artificial satellite (say an alien sputnik) 100,000,000 light years away, that means that satellite was orbiting that planet 100,000,000 years ago. And those aliens are either long gone, or in a new plane of existence.
zardayJul 26, 2010
I doubt we'll see anything that closely outside our own galaxy before we find life in our own galaxy.
drcyclopsJul 26, 2010
Actually, extraterrestrial life is more likely to be more advanced than we are, just because of the timescale of the universe (it existed for billions of years before we came along). The odds of finding a civilization that is just as advanced as ours is remote.
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
Did god make those planets the centre of the universe too?
mrquackerJul 26, 2010
Try harder next time, you failed with this one.
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
says you dummy
wilc3685Jul 26, 2010
Actually, no matter where you are in space, stars and planets are expanding away from where ever you are in space at the same rate so you always appear in the center of the universe.
snoogsJul 26, 2010
I don't think that's true... if you draw a line from the center of the big bang's location, the stuff further away from that point will be moving faster, while the stuff closer will be moving slower... everything will still be moving away, but I don't think it's at the same rate. Granted, everything in our galaxy is held together and is independent of the expansion, but other galaxies will be moving away in that fashion.
If you have good info to contradict me, please send it along. I'm not saying I'm right- just this is the way I've understood it.
roontJul 26, 2010
@snoogs,
that sounds just about right. we are in a fixed position in our galaxy, but our galaxy is by no means in any fixed position in the universe.
"fixed position" however isn't exactly accurate either though. The moon is technically in a fixed orbit around the earth, but it's also moving closer to us at something like a few millimeters per year or something like that. i forget the numbers.
wilc3685Jul 26, 2010
@snoogs The problem with having a mind only capable of picturing three dimensions limits our understanding of fourth dimensions and beyond (5, 6, etc.) without math. There is no center to which the Big Bang occurred; there was a single point to which all the energy of the universe once was but it erupted in an expansion to which because of the 4th dimension you could never point to the center to which this was. If you try to draw a line to a "center" you will eventually end up where you began.
Carl Sagan says it best (entertainingly so) if we try to picture ourselves as 2D beings unable to understand a 3D world. This might help explain 4D.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KT4M7kiSw
wilc3685Jul 26, 2010
@snoogs I think you are thinking of Hubble law. The distance a galaxy is away from our planet can be measured by redshift. The farther away a galaxy is away from our own the faster it appears to be moving away from us. The classic example is a loaf of raisin bread baking in the oven. Pick any raisin as "Earth." Then pick two other raisins, a raisin close to this "Earth" vs. a raisin far away. As the dough expands, the raisin furthest from "Earth" appears to move a greater distance over the same amount of time vs. the raisin close to "Earth." However, the dough is expanding uniformly. So you got most of it right, from our interpretation of the center of the universe (Earth), galaxies farther away appear to be moving away from us at a greater rate. Except there is no center to the universe while it is expanding uniformly. As the classic saying goes, it's all relative.
rhydebleAug 9, 2010
So everything slowly moves away from each other?
I'm feeling lonely.
zirchxworldJul 26, 2010
how do you know they aren't?
/serious
dlite922Jul 26, 2010
LOL
The ol' burden of proof ("prove it!") argument.
" Unicorns don't exist? Prove it! "
path411Jul 26, 2010
I wonder if those planets are flat too.
blankmanJul 26, 2010
oh what's this? Someone on digg turning yet another unrelated article into some sort of religious thing? Never seen that before!
danielvutran1Jul 26, 2010
What's wrong with that? You scared, Theist?
dmacmattackJul 26, 2010
Even as an atheist I find it obnoxious.
stormwernJul 26, 2010
Good, we'll need some spares.
inactiveuserJul 26, 2010
Assuming we can get off the place before BP and American politics kills us all..
yourekinkyJul 26, 2010
American politics only?
ax8284Jul 26, 2010
Well if everyone would just submit to American ideology we wouldn't have this problem now would we?
ronintetsuroJul 26, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
epiphanesJul 27, 2010
or else fall victim to "the final countdown" !
maximilenAug 9, 2010
WHO GOES THERE!!
dudeyeahbroJul 26, 2010
"Awe-some" in the most literal sense of the word.
ishiguroJul 26, 2010
So, it's just some awe, or is it awful, and full of awe?
dudeyeahbroJul 26, 2010
inspires a sense of awe
altorJul 26, 2010
Then you mean "awe-inspiring".
globalunlockJul 26, 2010
Good to know about this..they were able to find new planets and hoping with this hundreds of planets found that life could be possible on those planets...
RobMc1991Jul 26, 2010
Dear digg.
Pfft, they wish they were like me!
Earth.
legionfallsJul 26, 2010
We should name one Picard. Or Roddenberry.
thicknjuicyJul 26, 2010
Or name one ThickNJuicy. That would be awesome.
mcmaster88Jul 26, 2010
If they are inhabited, how do we have the right to name it? What if it already has a name. What if the culture doesn't use names.
eihwazJul 26, 2010
The past teaches us that we don't care. I don't think the Maya civilization called their land "America", yet we named it after Amerigo Vespucci.
If they have a name for it, it will probably sound too "strange" to us and we'll find another word that we like more… that's what humans do, sadly.
culytJul 26, 2010
I suppose we are supposed to go around calling it x1e'xyzzy#@jo-pityJ?hhxfr.ttt4 because that's what the inhabitants call it. That's even assuming they have speech, they might communicate using burst of light or by flinging faces containing bacteria with a code in it.
In any case we are unlikely to ever find out what they call the planet even if we actually found they exist.
trigonometronJul 31, 2010
What "right" do we have to name it? What the hell does that even mean? Naming something doesn't change it, it lets us talk about it. If you dont know the name of a place, you give it one of your own. Happens billions of times a day on this planet, i'd bet. Naming something isn't always about stealing.
willrap4pizzaJul 26, 2010
Or planet Starbucks
ieatskunkJul 26, 2010
For only $79 the planetregistry will name a planet for your loved one. We'll make note of in our records but it wont mean jack s**t to anyone else.
altorJul 26, 2010
Or Han Solo, he was my favorite captain.
rsmith32Jul 26, 2010
It's ridiculous to suppose that we are alone in the universe
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
But it's ridiculous to seek contact with them. It can't end well.
eviljollyJul 26, 2010
Steven Hawkings is a brilliant man, but I don't agree with him on this.
I see no reason for a civilization with such advanced technology traveling light years just to steal our resources, or to think we're a potential threat. I'd think that any race this far past us would be able to synthesize any element they may need.
joker2459Jul 26, 2010
god havent you played Mass Effect, its both good and bad.
danielvutran1Jul 26, 2010
Aliens with technology to travel through time and space, I reckon, would be a lot smarter than people like you and I. Considering wisdom-wise they find far more things important than what we may consider important fighting over. I.E. Land, resources of Earth, whose religion is better, etc.
drcyclopsJul 26, 2010
The only thing we have to fear are armadas of self-replicating machines traveling through the universe at sub-light speeds, deconstructing entire solar systems according to some ancient programming.
ieatskunkJul 26, 2010
It depends if FTL travel is physically possible or not. If not, we don't have anything to worry about (and we wont have much conversations with them either).
zardayJul 26, 2010
Charlie: what do you mean?
If you think they'll just see our planet and kill us all I think you're very wrong, for so many reasons. If they're so advanced then they've no doubt solved almost all of their problems in a way that doesn't involve going around and killing whole other semi-not-retarded species like ours.
askantikJul 26, 2010
Not to mention that if they're so advanced that they could totally pwn us in a heartbeat, then they probably already know we're here anyway.
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
Lets theoretically talk about something and assume we're right... especially when the topic is about aliens and when anything you say cannot be backed up in any way as we've never met aliens...
I'm pretty sure aliens travel from planet to planet throwing massive parties. As likely as anyone else theory.
identifiedlogoJul 26, 2010
What makes you think they will be peaceful? lol....Give anybody that much power and see if they will be peaceful. Its the nature of any being, be it on earth or anywhere in the universe.
jordanlgtaJul 26, 2010
rsmith32, you don't come off as "I'm better than everyone else and I know more than everyone else when I actually just believe different than everyone else"...
joaopeJul 26, 2010
TED Talk: Dimitar Sasselov: How we found hundreds of Earth-like planets
http://www.ted.com/talks/dimitar_sasselov_how_we_found_hundreds_of_earth_like_planets.html
scabertrainJul 26, 2010
if we do find another planet with life and they find out what we've managed to do with own planet, they'll blow us away before we get anywhere near their planet...i know i would. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
trigonometronJul 31, 2010
This Ted person, he must be very smart.
xvash2Jul 26, 2010
Step 1: Find planets
Step 2: Develop FTL engine
Step 3: Galactic colonization.
I like where this is heading.
rsmith32Jul 26, 2010
f**k Thy Life
zirchxworldJul 26, 2010
Britain had a similar plan for America with the whole colonies thing. call them states and it sounds much better =) they could be called the United States of Space... yeeeah!
thatryanguyJul 26, 2010
United Space of America.
impsethJul 26, 2010
United Space of the United Federation of the United Planet of the United States.
I'd join. Prolly teach me skills that I'll need it real life.
culytJul 26, 2010
It's more like:
Step 1: Find planets
Step 2: Develop FTL engine
Step 3: Violate causality
Step -128948957e17: Accidentally prevent the human race from existing (maybe even screw up the big bang if you go back far enough).
Any FTL engine will also allow time travel, any sane person should hope that FTL isn't possible. If we are ever going to other stars, it will need to be at light speed (or close), that will let us get there fairly quickly from the perspective of the people on the ship, although Earth will be hundreds or thousands of years in the future by the time they get back. Hopefully by then people will live much longer so it won't matter. It would also be possible to slow down or freeze the people on the ship if they aren't going at light speed to make it a quick journey from their perspective but you would probably need mind uploading or something.
admiralkareliaJul 26, 2010
You're discounting the possibility of something like wormholes or jumpdrives. Also, at the risk of sounding like a Trek nerd, the theories of warp drive are sound, they're just beyond our ability to build. They don't exceed the lightspeed barrier, they simply get around it.
ieatskunkJul 26, 2010
Time dilation does not equate to time travel.
rchargelJul 26, 2010
FTL doesn't necessarily violate causality (as that is impossible). If light speed is a constant, than FTL would have to be produced some other way, whether it's using warp drives (where you are merely warping the spacial relationships between you and and another point in space as speeds faster than light), or wormholes, or something else entirely.
kickinitlegitJul 26, 2010
you forgot-
Step 4:...?
Step 5: profit
kiddkillJul 26, 2010
But without a "profit" step... why bother?!?
meddelemJul 26, 2010
Is that like the Infinite Probability Drive?
helchezJul 26, 2010
Yeah I don't know where this guy got his facts because none of them seem to be right. I checked out the NASA Kepler website and their confirmed planet count is 5. None of which are are anywhere near earth size. Check it out for yourselves.
http://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/discoveries/
erkokiteJul 26, 2010
More info here:
http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/06/16/0040218/Kepler-Mission-Finds-752-Extrasolar-Planet-Candidates?from=rss
radiofanJul 26, 2010
Burried as innacurate. JPL still says 0 Earthlike exoplanets. http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/
rocky and roughly the same size != Earthlike.
oriondrJul 26, 2010
No, that's exactly what makes it earthlike..
The problem is most of the extrasolar planets we've found are many times the size of earth (detecting objects as small as earth from light years away is very very difficult).
raydeJul 26, 2010
considering that website lists 453 planets, while the linked article from today (July 26) states the Kepler probe found 706 new planets, i'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that the JPL site hasn't updated their page yet.
morningloriiJul 26, 2010
O RLY, exactly 140? Anyone else smell a Twitter viral marketing campaign?
morningloriiJul 26, 2010
I can't tell if I should've used a /s, or if people just don't think my joke was funny :(
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
I hate digg. It makes me feel sick and so does its users. I f**king can't stand this place.
mrquackerJul 26, 2010
Bad criticism: I hate this place!!!
Good criticism: I hate this place because...
h8f8kesJul 26, 2010
Your welcome to go back to Reddit. Or was this comment already on there last week?
mhugginsJul 26, 2010
What about my welcome?
h8f8kesJul 26, 2010
Your welcome?
needcoffeeJul 26, 2010
It's not about the size that really matters. Distance from it's star is the gold standard, then comes trying to find out if it has an atmosphere.
realdealrickJul 26, 2010
Great. Now let's get the hell outta. 2012 is coming.
iveplayedjesusJul 26, 2010
HELLO hello hello is there anybody OUT there
pinchduckJul 26, 2010
just nod if you can hear me...
sek52Jul 26, 2010
Is there anybody home?
rchargelJul 26, 2010
Come on... come on now
I hear you're feeling down
embitJul 26, 2010
Can I sing my song?
thewittymanJul 26, 2010
I can ease your pain
Get you on your feet again
serif69Jul 26, 2010
@embit
RELAX relax relax
angelsfreeekJul 26, 2010
I'll need some information, first
elp619Jul 26, 2010
Just the basic facts,
jurajJul 26, 2010
Can you show me where it hurts?
waisosrsJul 26, 2010
There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship, smoke on the horizon
hydesJul 26, 2010
You are only coming through in waves
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
I don't get it, they can see these planets from thousands of light years off in the distance and know the size, composition and atmosphere. Frickin crazy..
roontJul 26, 2010
It is, but this technology has been around for decades. It really is amazing the things we can tell just by looking.
whiskeyx2Jul 26, 2010
space is far out!
sealaJul 26, 2010
"Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space."
shawnfromnhJul 26, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
ccifaJul 26, 2010
Debbie downer.
ruthlesspirateJul 26, 2010
Well at least it will be an incentive if we have a specific target to go and explore.
epiphanesJul 26, 2010
So.. sort of like most early colonists?
Do you think crossing the Ocean used to be quick and reliable?
I guess if we left it to people like you, we never would have left Africa.
willrap4pizzaJul 26, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2aJWKIKLcM
eihwazJul 26, 2010
Don't forget that we have robots now. If the Mars expeditions are teaching you something, it's that first we send robots to do the analysis and look around, and only if it's interesting (and safe) enough then we start thinking about sending humans.
propethicJul 26, 2010
Sure, inside our own solar system. Robots do you little good when it would take centuries to get the 1st bit of data.
roontJul 26, 2010
"Does it really matter if we find and earthlike planet light years away. It does us no good"
Well, maybe it doesnt specifically do YOU or ME any good. but does it do US good as a species? Absolutely. If we keep at the same pace we are going this planet will be uninhabitable in 100 years tops. The problem with humans is our immediate greed. Sure lets invest in what OUR children will do in 20 years, but who gives a damn about 1000 years from now, or 2000. I'll be dead so it doesnt matter. its that kind of attitute that will cause us not to BE here in 1000 years.
roontJul 26, 2010
Recognised scientist, Carl Sagan's Cosmos:
...for our own world the parels are more subtle. Since this series was first broadcast, the dangers of the increasing greenhouse effect have become much more clear. We burn fossell fuels, such as coal, gasoline, and petrolium putting more carbone dioxide in the atmostphere, and thereby heating the earth. the hellish conditions on Venus are a reminder that this is serious business. Computer models that successfully explain the climits of other planets, predict the deaths of forests, parched croplands, flooding of coastal cities, environmental refugees, and widespread disasters in the next century.
In the next century.
representdlvJul 26, 2010
There's actually a pretty cool video about how the telescope works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCVQpcY1au4
sirshockalotJul 26, 2010
is this like the spanish rickroll? please explain
mcmaster88Jul 26, 2010
I see what you did thar. And luckily my computer is so f**king slow I caught it before anything bad happened to my ears.
tomgfromcanadaJul 26, 2010
what what... that's all i got
epiphanesJul 26, 2010
We used to look out at the vast expanse of the ocean and think it uncrossable.
We once looked to the skies and thought them inaccessible.
There are always going to be the chattel (people) coming up reasons why we "can't" and the dreamers will once again prove them wrong.
zirchxworldJul 26, 2010
so your saying anything is possible?
epiphanesJul 26, 2010
I am saying what *is* possible is far beyond the scope of our current comprehensions. Like a zippo to a caveman.. we can't possibly comprehend what the future truly holds for us.
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
He's saying anything that's possible is possible and it's possible that we don't possibly understand the possibilities.
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
@michaelKolak
Uh, whut?
zirchxworldJul 26, 2010
but its, its, impossible!
tgc1Jul 26, 2010
I dare to dream. I dare say there is life out there waiting for us. I dare say we will meet them.
rchargelJul 26, 2010
And they will be delicious.
snoogsJul 26, 2010
Well... no one has solved the dying thing, or time travel. Wake me up when we have these things, and also send me back to when I was 20ish.
epiphanesJul 26, 2010
the "dying thing" isn't necessarily something that needs to be completely solved.
time travel going forward is not only possible but proven.
thanks for your negativity.. glad to see you contributing to the solution.
samoan27Jul 26, 2010
I actually don't know of a time in recorded history that crossing the ocean was deamed impossible.
gbhallJul 26, 2010
"You can't travel to another universe!"
iuandarJul 26, 2010
Well that certainly improves Adama's odds.
h8f8kesJul 26, 2010
Porbably inhabited by Cylons. From what understand everyone is one.....
ronintetsuroJul 26, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
trigonometronJul 31, 2010
Sliders was about as deep as Scooby Doo with parallel universes.
ireneattoliaJul 26, 2010
In answer to your unspoken question: Yes, the BSOD exists in space: "There have been no unplanned events since the recovery of the spacecraft from a Safe mode malfunction in February 2010."
Distribution of the habitable planet zone: Distributions of mass and orbit size for discovered planets.
www.nasa.gov/images/content/376596main_AlanBoss-PlanetDistro-Final.jpg
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/science/index.html
Kepler scientific objectives
Amazing to me, the things that are being revealed in these days.
gemfinderJul 26, 2010
Oel ngati kameie.
ireneattoliaJul 26, 2010
Seykxel sì nitram! 121:28...31
mhugginsJul 26, 2010
wat
superhopeJul 26, 2010
It's in Na'vi.
rchargelJul 26, 2010
asdf;laksdfjal;ksjdfajk;serfjawghal;sfgal;sjdgho;awifal;h.
I speak your alien talk too.
drcyclopsJul 26, 2010
We're going to come back to your planet and bomb it from orbit.
-Love, the Super Awesome Human Race
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
"Up to 140 of the newly found planets are rocky and Earth-like containing both land and water"
I'd like to buy me one of those, this one's getting crowded and it's run by douche bags.
killermicrobeJul 26, 2010
I don't understand why most of the public the possibility of beings in other worlds as not important
tyron23Jul 26, 2010
706 new planets found. Check.
Perfectly flat black non reflective monolith with dimensions 1:4:9. Check.
Freaky space baby. Still working on that.
willrap4pizzaJul 26, 2010
Why don't girls get excited in their pants like I do over this stuff?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2aJWKIKLcM
testiculeseJul 26, 2010
If only.
"So the orbital discrepancy of the planet R34d2009 is indicative of ..."
"TAKE ME NOW"
blackwing602Jul 26, 2010
dibs on number 72!!!
meddelemJul 26, 2010
wise.
mhugginsJul 26, 2010
Wow, hard to believe there are so many planets out there revolving around the Earth.
sirfoxxJul 26, 2010
Pandorum here we come.
baphclassJul 26, 2010
That was the name of a ship, and it wasn't even the one the movie took place on.
Also, Dennis Quaid is the bad guy.
rchargelJul 26, 2010
Wasn't that the name of the illness?
trigonometronJul 31, 2010
did you really just spoil the movie/
sirfoxxJul 30, 2010
It was the name of the illness and nice spoiler BaphClass.
givemeabeerJul 26, 2010
A Science Celebration
Scientist: "Hey guys, we found some new Earth-like planets"
Group of scientists: "YAY!
*goes back to work*
p.s. Isn't a scientist who studies stars and planets called an astronomer?
roontJul 26, 2010
stars are astronomy. planets and anything else, the universe as a whole is cosmology i believe (but don't quote me on it)
clonedJul 26, 2010
According to to wikianswers:
Astronomy is the study of the physical universe beyond the Earths atmosphere. (Actually looking to see what is there now - Observational)
Cosmology is the study of the origin, evolution and ultimately the fate of the Universe. (How did it all begin - Theoretical)
tsk05Jul 26, 2010
"p.s. Isn't a scientist who studies stars and planets called an astronomer?"
Yes, that term is sometimes used in place of astrophysicist or cosmologist although the term cosmologist is not used interchangeably with astronomer.
mdraconisJul 26, 2010
Guess we gotta power up those slip stream engines
lukas1051Jul 26, 2010
I don't think there's any doubt that there is probably some other form on life in this infinitely expanding universe... But realistically, I doubt we'll ever reach them.
azadcreativeJul 26, 2010
I want a Banshee...
eman117Jul 26, 2010
now to develop a way to travel tothose planets without us succumbing to old age
jabbrwockeyJul 26, 2010
So the qualifying factor for "Earth-like" is rocky and small?
Even I know for starters you need a normal phase or a red dwarf star otherwise you have too much radiation to support a carbon, silicon, or (laughably) germanium based life forms.
Similarly, distance from said star and atmospheric conditions need to be perfect so that water can exist in it's three phases naturally, otherwise it is too hot or too cold for biological reactions.
Also, what about density? Just because it's rock and the same size doesn't mean it can't have 3Gs gravity thanks to a solid core of heavier metals (heavier than ours).
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
I don't think they are hoping to find advanced lifeforms, even elements or an environment to support said life is a huge leap.
Also, you can't use the same rules which apply on Earth to apply everywhere else. It wouldn't really be "alien" if it followed the same principles of Earth in terms of evolution and resemblance. Different conditions would breed different species which would adapt to their environments.
Our own planet has undergone extreme changes since it was created 4.5 billion years ago and the changes which were made was through a lot of luck and even more adaptation. It's anyone's guess what another planet would resemble or the life it may harbour, especially when we have only a glimpse of it which may have actually happened tens, hundreds, thousands, millions, billions of years ago.
jabbrwockeyJul 26, 2010
I'm not saying we'll find "advanced" life. I'm saying these planets are not exclusive enough to host any life.
True, while our history on Earth is Unique, the Universe has set laws of physics and chemistry. For any form of life to take hold, it needs carbon, silicon, or germanium in ample enough quantities, otherwise you will not have a base molecule with the right valences to build off of (hence the term "carbon based" lifeforms).
Similarly, H20 is the only molecule that has such a close melting point and freezing point that it is crucial for biochemical (read:life) reactions, regardless of what your "base" is.
Lastly, if you have a star that gives off too much radiation you're introducing too much of a natural selection pressure for life to even take hold. Or if the gravity, pressure, or reducing levels of an atmosphere are too far off, particulates will come out of aqueous solutions and will not be able to form biochemical reactions.
It's not about us, it's about life in general. There are basic requirements for life - the simplest being complex chemical reactions - that can't occur without the right conditions.
asoap69Jul 26, 2010
http://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/discoveries/
The kepler website says 5 planets.
grumpymonkJul 26, 2010
Maybe i can get laid more on one of those planets! Sure as hell not getting enough ass here...that and the ass here is faker and faker.
frostbytJul 26, 2010
Earth like planets are not the same as earth.
Would be pointless to travel there.
esantipapaJul 26, 2010
That's kind of the reason to go there... so we know what NOT to look for.
roontJul 26, 2010
that's the problem is that it doesn't spark intrest. Wait until this planet is just about dead and won't yeild the necessary resouces for us to go elsewhere. THEN intrest should peak.