For other space news go to: http://www.spacetoday.net
Posted on 09/04/2009 5:27:34 PM PDT by KevinDavis
While astronomers keenly await the discovery of Earth-like planets around other stars, the possibility of habitable moons should not be ruled out either, say scientists at University College London.
NASA's Kepler spacecraft launched earlier this year with the hunt for Earth-like planets the primary goal of the mission. It will make detections using the transit method – by looking for the characteristic dips in stellar brightness as a planet passes in front of its parent star.
(Excerpt) Read more at astronomynow.com ...
Thanks nice thought. Bump.
Leave the commie thugs behind!
It leads to some interesting possibilities. I have to wonder how habitable a moon would be if it were tidally locked with its planet like ours is. A night that’s a couple of weeks long would get mighty cold I would think.
Also interesting is the possible day night pattern. You have the night that results from the rotation of the moon plus a “total night” that would result from passing behind the planet in the darkness.
We know from our own solar system that moons are pretty varied.
As long as their capability to follow is permanently destroyed when the last free people leave. They can stay isolated on their “utopia”. When the free people bothered to check on them in a few generations, there probably wouldn’t be much civilization to see.
Niven, and The Engineers...Puppeteers.
nyah, nyah:
Kepler Could Detect Habitable ‘Exomoons’
redOrbit | Thursday, September 3, 2009 | redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
Posted on 09/03/2009 5:19:09 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2331651/posts
 |
||
| · join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · | ||
| Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar · | ||
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.