WooHoo! A new planet!

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

WooHoo! A new planet!

http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-telescope-confirms-alien-planet-habitable-zone-162005358.html

Dirk, any "inside" (wink-wink, nudge-nudge) info on this? :)

[mdub]

yeah i saw this last week... Like Hawking states "If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans."

[dirkterrell]

That's an important find and what Kepler was designed to detect. There will likely be quite a few of these announced over the next few years. Kepler 16b is my favorite Kepler discovery because it was a type of system that I proposed modeling about 8 years ago because I argued that they should be relatively common. The review panel argued otherwise. The discovery of 16b showed that I was right. We'll be resubmitting that proposal in March. 8)

[Keyser Soze]

:lol: opened this thread and the theme from Starman came on my music player

[bodhizafa]

That's an important find and what Kepler was designed to detect. There will likely be quite a few of these announced over the next few years. Kepler 16b is my favorite Kepler discovery because it was a type of system that I proposed modeling about 8 years ago because I argued that they should be relatively common. The review panel argued otherwise. The discovery of 16b showed that I was right. We'll be resubmitting that proposal in March. 8)

Relatively common ... yet difficult to detect :dunno: Hard for most people to grasp how far away this stuff really is. Although isn't that planet pretty close in cosmic terms?

[Ezzzzy1]

yeah i saw this last week... Like Hawking states "If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans."

One word... HERPIES :bigeyes:

Man I hope Hawkings is wrong... If he is right we are NOT going to like what/how they do us and what the leave us with.

As long as they are able to take the world population down to about 1 billion I am cool with them :lol:

[csmith]

My question with this is how do they know what "habitable" even means? We've found bacteria that thrives on arsenic (obviously bad for us), so finding a planet that would seemingly suit our needs doesn't mean something else with different adaptions can't thrive elsewhere.

[Clovis]

Habitable just means the planet is the right distance from it's parent star where liquid water can exist. Water is the key to life as we know it here on Earth.

It's widely speculated that microscopic life may exist on some of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

My personal hunch is that they're right and life is common place, even in our own solar system outside of earth.

The universe is a very, very big place. It's nearly mathematically impossible for Earth to house the only intelligent life in the universe.

Anyhow, Kepler is very cool. I can't wait to see what we get with the James Webb space telescope. 2018 can't come soon enough! If you're not familiar with it, it's the telescope to replace Hubble and the mirrors are significantly larger then Hubble's.

Think of what Hubble did for astronomy (after they repaired it). James Webb will have a similar impact. :D:D:D:D:D:D:D


My question with this is how do they know what "habitable" even means? We've found bacteria that thrives on arsenic (obviously bad for us), so finding a planet that would seemingly suit our needs doesn't mean something else with different adaptions can't thrive elsewhere.

[dirkterrell]

My question with this is how do they know what "habitable" even means? We've found bacteria that thrives on arsenic (obviously bad for us), so finding a planet that would seemingly suit our needs doesn't mean something else with different adaptions can't thrive elsewhere.

Yeah, as Clovis said, it has to do with where water can be in a liquid state on the surface of a planet for significant periods of time. Since we know of on ly one place where life formed and that involved liquid water, that's what we look for. And I'm not a microbiologist, but there was quite a bit of controversy about the arsenic bugs and I don't recall seeing any replication of the original team's results yet.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

It's nearly mathematically impossible for Earth to house the only intelligent life in the universe.
Who ever made the claim that we're intelligent? :)

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Another cool find:

http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-monster-black-holes-biggest-yet-162552569.html

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Yeah, as Clovis said, it has to do with where water can be in a liquid state on the surface of a planet for significant periods of time. Since we know of on ly one place where life formed and that involved liquid water, that's what we look for. And I'm not a microbiologist, but there was quite a bit of controversy about the arsenic bugs and I don't recall seeing any replication of the original team's results yet.
Not familiar with the arsenic bugs, but there's plenty of life that exists in the oceans in areas that would kill us, especially near the volcanic vent holes where the water is far above boiling and only the enormous pressure prevents it.

[Ghost]

From years of watching the documentary series Star Trek, I was pretty sure that M-Class planets were fairly common, so what's the big deal?

And all aliens are 99% like us, but with nose ridges, brow ridges, or green skin (and voracious sexual appetites), so what's to fear there?

Seriously people, get a grip. :p



(Besides, it's not like we have the technology to get there, and despite what Hawking says, you really think any intelligent, space-faring race would want to come to this place? How often do YOU travel to the worst ghetto you can find just for "fun"?)

[grim]

From years of watching the documentary series Star Trek, I was pretty sure that M-Class planets were fairly common, so what's the big deal?

And all aliens are 99% like us, but with nose ridges, brow ridges, or green skin (and voracious sexual appetites), so what's to fear there?

Seriously people, get a grip. :p



(Besides, it's not like we have the technology to get there, and despite what Hawking says, you really think any intelligent, space-faring race would want to come to this place? How often do YOU travel to the worst ghetto you can find just for "fun"?)

They could be hot chicks from outer space....Society just put a face on ugly looking creatures...we know nothing.

Oh and they would come here because we do have one thing everyone wants no matter what....BEER!!!

[Ghost]

They could be hot chicks from outer space....Society just put a face on ugly looking creatures...we know nothing.

Oh and they would come here because we do have one thing everyone wants no matter what....BEER!!!

Or they're here FOR our women!!!

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6446/soundtrackearthgirlsare.jpg

[asp_125]

There could be a race of Borg, or Cylon, or furry little sesame street muppets....

[TFOGGuys]

(Besides, it's not like we have the technology to get there, and despite what Hawking says, you really think any intelligent, space-faring race would want to come to this place? How often do YOU travel to the worst ghetto you can find just for "fun"?)

Maybe they just have shitty GPS* software. I know mine always routes me through the 'hood.


* Galactic Positioning System

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

(Besides, it's not like we have the technology to get there, and despite what Hawking says, you really think any intelligent, space-faring race would want to come to this place? How often do YOU travel to the worst ghetto you can find just for "fun"?)
The scary thing is, if any other race finds us, we stand a 50% or greater (I tend to think MUCH greated based on man's history) chance that they'd be hostile to us if not simply use us as a food source and/or slaves. Secondly, even IF they were friendly, all we have to do is look at the havoc that advanced peoples (relatively speaking) have intentionally or even unintentionally inflicted on the less advanced peoples of this world to be an indicator of our fate. In other words, we shouldn't send maps out into space detailing our location.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

* Galactic Positioning System
Hah!

[I`m Batman]

I wonder what alien fish tastes like...

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

I wonder what alien fish tastes like...
.....they're wondering the same thing about US........ :)

[Snowman]

There could be a race of Borg, or Cylon, or furry little sesame street muppets....Or they could be standing right next to you reading over your shoulder at this very post.

The advanced technology required to just travel any real distance in this galaxy compared with what we know, would be the equivalent of when cavemen were looking up at the stars and not only not knowing what they were but couldn't even conceive the possibility of the spy satellite looking back at them.

I think Hawking is wrong on his idea, anything/one that advanced wouldn’t have any of the needs or wants that the biological creatures on this world would have. Being in space for as long as it took for them to get here, and the advancements required to do so, would mean their home would be space.

Not tied to some gravity bound world where it takes enormous amount of energy to just move things. Where you have to dig or grow to get the materials you need. Places like the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter have more raw materials than a thousand earths and would be much easier for those beings to make use of.

I do think there would be the curiosity factor though. Species capable of basic understanding of the universe and building of machines might be the rarity out there. And not because of the distance between habitable worlds as much as time passed. In less than 10,000 years we have gone from that caveman looking at stars not know what they are to spy satellites looking back. And 10,000 years is just a blink of the eye in the time scale of just this galaxy.

I think we are going to find so many worlds out there that have had a species or two that have grown up and moved out into space. But after about a million years in space the difference between them and us is even currently beyond our imagination.

[Ghost]

I do think there would be the curiosity factor though. Species capable of basic understanding of the universe and building of machines might be the rarity out there. And not because of the distance between habitable worlds as much as time passed. In less than 10,000 years we have gone from that caveman looking at stars not know what they are to spy satellites looking back. And 10,000 years is just a blink of the eye in the time scale of just this galaxy.

I think we are going to find so many worlds out there that have had a species or two that have grown up and moved out into space. But after about a million years in space the difference between them and us is even currently beyond our imagination.


Which is why the come and probe us, just like we tag and radio-collar various species of animals here.

Just like religion, we will project our own image onto everything that we don't clearly understand. So, we anthropomorphize the aliens into something like us--paranoid, warlike, aggressive or (for some) loving, caring, compassionate. So, we've got Alien/Predators on one side and ET/CEot3K on the other and probably Section 9, Star Trek and Star Wars in the middle. Which, if any (or all) is accurate? Who knows? Unless and until we meet them (which will be at their choosing, not ours, if they're more advanced than us, then they can avoid us and if they're equal to us, we'll never meet any time soon).

I think that whatever they are, they are alien in the truest sense of the word, and whatever our expectations are won't be met. Look at the bizarre shit we have in our own oceans that we don't understand, and even relatively intelligent species (apes, dolphins, whales) are beyond our ability to understand and/or communicate with.

[grim]

Occupy Outer Space!!!!!!!

[salsashark]

^^ netflix/torrent/whatever the movie "Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165874/)". It's cheesy (ok, it's actually a bad movie), but it's funny. This is how I like to think Aliens are viewing earth. Sitting back and laughing at all the stupid shit we do on a day to day basis.

...and if you get nothing else out of it, at least Carmen Electra is hot!

[grim]

Carmen Electra + pool table = :eyebrows:

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

I think that whatever they are, they are alien in the truest sense of the word.....
Well, as long as they ain't ILLEGAL aliens..... :)

[Ghost]

Carmen Electra = Light Years worth of mileage

Fixed.


Well, as long as they ain't ILLEGAL aliens..... :)

Sadly, the day we finally leave Earth is probably the day we get thrown back across the border. :p

[Snowman]

I wonder the day we leave earth, they will see us as the illegal aliens, crossing their border.

[Ghost]

I wonder the day we leave earth, they will see us as the illegal aliens, crossing their border.

I wonder if we'll ever actually leave the earth before we (as a species) die on it...

[mdub]

I wonder what alien fish tastes like...


chinese food

[modette99]

I wonder if we'll ever actually leave the earth before we (as a species) die on it...

Yep, I have a feeling we will not as a species be around for millions of years.

[RajunCajun]

I wonder what alien fish tastes like...
The end of a date went really bad once, and thought I discovered the answer to that very question:/P


Occupy Outer Space!!!!!!!
Can we send them there???



Well, as long as they ain't ILLEGAL aliens..... :)
Those aliens probably won't pay taxes either, Frank!

[Ghost]

Yep, I have a feeling we will not as a species be around for millions of years.

Millions? You're more generous than I am...

[asp_125]

Simple, Dirk and Randall and the rocket scientists will just have to develop warp drive. C'mon guys, get cracking! ;)

[modette99]

Millions? You're more generous than I am...

No, just saying...we will not even match the length of time that the Dinosaurs existed. As a species I be surprised if we make it another 10,000 years.

[rforsythe]

No, just saying...we will not even match the length of time that the Dinosaurs existed. As a species I be surprised if we make it another 10,000 years.

We won't on this planet, anyway. By then we will have branched out to other places (assuming no mass-extinction event before then), and of course that assumes our species itself doesn't exist elsewhere in the universe and we weren't a random act of nature, unique act of God, or accidental eruption of life.

Who knows, maybe someone will blast human DNA into the nether regions of space to be cloned by an alien race one day. Humanity is way to proud of itself to let itself just die off like that. :lol:

[I`m Batman]

Are we forgetting about the zombie apocalypse here? We're not going anywhere.

[Snowman]

Who knows, maybe someone will blast human DNA into the nether regions of space to be cloned by an alien race one day. Humanity is way to proud of itself to let itself just die off like that. :lol:you've never seen an episode of Jersey Shore have you?

[grim]

you've never seen an episode of Jersey Shore have you?

:pointlaugh: oh my sides hurt......

[TFOGGuys]

you've never seen an episode of Jersey Shore have you?

Additional proof that

A) The gene pool needs more chlorine

and

B) We need to find out if there is intelligent life on THIS planet first...

[grim]

Additional proof that

A) The gene pool needs more chlorine

and

B) We need to find out if there is intelligent life on THIS planet first...

I am pretty sure Snookie isnt real there is no way a human can be that stupid.

[modette99]

I am pretty sure Snookie isnt real there is no way a human can be that stupid.

Never saw Jersey Shore...no interest

But I did see Snookie on Jay Leno not that long ago and boy she does sure seem dumb. I mean Jay (not even a funny guy anymore) was tearing her a new one and it went over her head.

[grim]

Never saw Jersey Shore...no interest

But I did see Snookie on Jay Leno not that long ago and boy she does sure seem dumb. I mean Jay (not even a funny guy anymore) was tearing her a new one and it went over her head.

I have never watched an episode either but i have heard her on the radio and seen short clips of her on crap like leno and what not. If stupid were a human, had hair, and big tits..it'd be her...oh wait it is.....

[JonnyD]

(Besides, it's not like we have the technology to get there, and despite what Hawking says, you really think any intelligent, space-faring race would want to come to this place? How often do YOU travel to the worst ghetto you can find just for "fun"?)

One of the best quotes I heard (no idea where it's from now) is:

"The surest sign that there is intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't tried to contact us yet."

That and there was a comic that was commenting about how many UFO crashes there are... something to the effect of
"you'd think after the first crash that they'd put up a sign or something"

[Snowman]

I have never watched an episode either but i have heard her on the radio and seen short clips of her on crap like leno and what not. If stupid were a human, had hair, and big tits..it'd be her...oh wait it is.....I would suggest that if there were an invading alien army from space, she should be the first person we hurl at them. She would greatly lower their threat assessment of us.

[grim]

I would suggest that if there were an invading alien army from space, she should be the first person we hurl at them. She would greatly lower their threat assessment of us.

THREAT assessment yes..but then they'd be like "oh man these guys are sooooo stupid it will be easy to make them our slaves"!!!!

[longrider]

Simple, Dirk and Randall and the rocket scientists will just have to develop warp drive. C'mon guys, get cracking! ;)

Don't you know your future history?? The warp drive will be invented by Zefram Cochrane and he hasn't been born yet! ;)

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Additional proof that

A) The gene pool needs more phosgene
and

B) We need to find out if there is intelligent life on THIS planet first...
Fixored!

[Ghost]

"The surest sign that there is intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't tried to contact us yet."



^Truth


Who knows, maybe someone will blast human DNA into the nether regions of space to be cloned by an alien race one day.

Well, we definitely love to blast DNA into nether regions...still don't think it'll get us into space though.

[Snowman]

Well, we definitely love to blast DNA into nether regions...still don't think it'll get us into space though.Then you are not doing it right... 8)

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

I would suggest that if there were an invading alien army from space, she should be the first person we hurl at them. She would greatly lower their threat assessment of us.
....and if that doesn't work, we'll hurl Pelosi at them!

[Snowman]

Followed by the entire George W Bush Family..

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Followed by the entire George W Bush Family..
Hey, missus "W" is a good lookin' woman for her age, and the girls are pretty hot from what I remember.

Besides, if Nancy "The Crypt Keeper" Pelosi doesn't scare 'em off, we're sunk! :)

[Ghost]

....and if that doesn't work, we'll hurl Pelosi at them!


Followed by the entire George W Bush Family..


Hey, missus "W" is a good lookin' woman for her age, and the girls are pretty hot from what I remember.

Besides, if Nancy "The Crypt Keeper" Pelosi doesn't scare 'em off, we're sunk! :)


And you wonder why they avoid this place?

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

And you wonder why they avoid this place?
....they saw one of Michael Moore's movies???? :)

[Snowman]

Then again, they might be closer than we think. Should we be hurling our repsentives sooner than later?

NASA Video Captures What Looks Like an Alien Spaceship (http://gizmodo.com/5865808/has-nasas-satellite-captured-an-unidentified-object-near-mercury/)

[Ghost]

Then again, they might be closer than we think. Should we be hurling our repsentives sooner than later?

NASA Video Captures What Looks Like an Alien Spaceship (http://gizmodo.com/5865808/has-nasas-satellite-captured-an-unidentified-object-near-mercury/)

Weather balloon.