Kepler Confirms: Smaller Planets Rule the Galaxy

what awesome news. 3 cheers for good science and space exploration. 3 cheers for expanding our understanding of the universe!
HOORAAAYYY!

Originally posted by guavas
Here's what I think will happen:

In about 20 years time, it will be announced that extra-terrestrial microbial life exists -- with incontrovertible evidence.

Then it'll turn into the same argument for another 50 years.

Instead of aliens not being able to exist, the argument will be that it's INTELLIGENT aliens that can't exist.

Why do these processes take so long?

Because if they exist then everything in our society would change and would be wrong. Humans base their society on lies and deceit. Well this modern era any way.

Originally posted by slank
I want my own private 'new' Earth & plan to keep all the vast majority of reckless stupid people off it.

A big giant 'Keep Out' sign on its moon(s)

& a huge black hole with titanium teeth to chop down on anyone & anything that didn't get or follow the message.

What about the pooor peeeople that want to come there for work?

It would seem there would be better solarhoods, you know ones with less astroids, comits, metors.
More groups of cool planets less varance in weather, time to devlope for much longer time.
Then these peoples could repair more ghettosolar systems like earth, you know crash amoon here some comets here for water, maybe a big nickle astroid in Canada, aways need nickle.

This is fine and great and all. I don't mean to be sarcastic I really think this is great but think of it this way. In 500 or a thousand so years we may just be fighting over planets and resources in some other solar system with either us or aliens instead of amongst ourselves. When we do travel amongst the stars our children better find that ideal or they better have the biggest gun.

reply to post by guavas

Instead of aliens not being able to exist, the argument will be that it's INTELLIGENT aliens that can't exist.

whos says alien life or intelligent aliens can't exist?

reply to post by jdub297


Oh how exciting!!!!!!!! Thank you for posting this news!

reply to post by Gorman91


M stars pose a few problemsfor planets that would allow us to live on them. First one being temperature. Tidally locked would mean one side of the planet gets fried while the other freezes.

We need a mechanism to transfer the heat from one side to another. Nasa did manage to produce one model that would allow that but the atmosphere was so thick no sunlight would reach the surface.

The HZ for planets around M dwarf stars is so close to the star that it would cuase huge tidal forces on the planet causing major internal & surface disruption. Which makes me wonder what the planets are really like. It may be that these worlds have oceans of magma and not water like earth.

M stars are problematic for creating conditions that we could live in but we should still check them out to see whats happening there. My moneys on G type stars like sol being a better bet for earth like planets.



[edit on 29-6-2010 by yeti101]

reply to post by yeti101


If a planet is far enough, it can constantly face the star and be pretty swell. No thick atmosphere needed.

For example. On Earth, there are climates that each a temperature max and stay there. No matter how long the sun stairs them down.

And as to strong tidal forces, Life goes underground, or if the planet has enough mass, there is no problem.

A great Series:

www.youtube.com...

reply to post by js331975

In 500 or a thousand so years we may just be fighting over planets and resources in some other solar system with either us or aliens instead of amongst ourselves.

1. We probably won't be here anymore in 500 years or so.

2. If we are still here by some strange chance, maybe they'll have oil! Or polar bears.

jw

OK so we have enough evidence now to determine that there are probably other earth like planets out there that we can live on.

We should stop spending money for now to look out there and start using the money to create the technology that will alow us to travel out there.

Pretty much useless knowledge to know earths exist if we can never hope to go.

reply to post by Gorman91

If a planet is far enough, it can constantly face the star and be pretty swell. No thick atmosphere needed.

the problem becomes the dark side freezing out the atmopshere. Thats why nasa exoplanet modellers work so hard to find a way to transfer the heat around the planet.

And as to strong tidal forces, Life goes underground, or if the planet has enough mass, there is no problem.

right but thats not a place we could go live and "thrive". If the planet is too big the problem becomes pressure and gravity on the surface again not a nice place for us to visit.

M stars pose major problems thats why nasa spent $1 billion on a telescope calibrated to detect small planets in the HZ of G type stars. Not m type.

reply to post by yeti101


Actually a geologically active planet with caves would enable bio luminescent life forms to reach deeper where gravity is lighter. Chemical heat from rocks rubbing together would create energy on a carbon planet rather than a silicon planet.

In addition, for a tidally locked world, you have to have a Jupiter-like permanent hurricane that would suck up the hot air and spin it outward towards the cold parts. Air would get sucked to the warm side due to the Sun's gravity (a la tide with our moon), and heat up, rise, then forma high elevation hurricane that would spin so violently that it would spin outwards to the cold side.

This requires a lot of water, however, so the planet's cold side is going to have a lot of ice. Wind, not the sun, will carry the ice to the warm side back.

reply to post by Gorman91


I'm not saying life is impossible at these places im saying they wont make good places for us to live. Also my bet is still on G type stars being much better for complex and intelligent life. M stars dont excite me becuase theyre so bad.

Originally posted by Xeven
OK so we have enough evidence now to determine that there are probably other earth like planets out there that we can live on.

We should stop spending money for now to look out there and start using the money to create the technology that will alow us to travel out there.

Pretty much useless knowledge to know earths exist if we can never hope to go.

You must be thinking of some space agency other that 'rockets only' NASA. Something like an 'advanced' space exploration agency, that's heard of quantum physics propulsion.


[edit on 7/1/2010 by Larryman]

reply to post by yeti101


Yea but always remember. Keep a set standard of things long enough on a planet with life, complex forms WILL evolve.