Skip to comments.
Has Nasa found a new Earth? Astronomer discovers first same-sized planet in a 'Goldilocks zone' ...
www.dailymail.co.uk ^
| PUBLISHED: 08:57 EST, 24 March 2014 | UPDATED: 10:03 EST, 24 March 2014
| By Victoria Woollaston
Posted on 03/25/2014 10:32:40 AM PDT by Red Badger
click here to read article
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-76 next last
To: Atlas Sneezed
Nope - “reconstructed this image”
But close. And if there was any one, Betelgeuse would be the one.
Makes me want to figure out which one would be biggest based on area and distance (and maybe absolute magnitude). Any guesses?
To: Red Badger; KevinDavis; annie laurie; Knitting A Conundrum; Viking2002; Ernest_at_the_Beach; ...
22
posted on
03/25/2014 11:23:37 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: AU72
The Drake Equation was developed by
Frank Drake in 1961 as a way to focus on the factors which determine how many intelligent, communicating civilizations there are in our galaxy. The Drake Equation is:
N = N* fp ne fl fi fc fL
The equation can really be looked at as a number of questions:
- N* represents the number of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy
- Question: How many stars are in the Milky Way Galaxy?
- Answer: Current estimates are 100 billion.
- fp is the fraction of stars that have planets around them
- Question: What percentage of stars have planetary systems?
- Answer: Current estimates range from 20% to 50%.
- ne is the number of planets per star that are capable of sustaining life
- Question: For each star that does have a planetary system, how many planets are capable of sustaining life?
- Answer: Current estimates range from 1 to 5.
- fl is the fraction of planets in ne where life evolves
- Question: On what percentage of the planets that are capable of sustaining life does life actually evolve?
- Answer: Current estimates range from 100% (where life can evolve it will) down to close to 0%.
- fi is the fraction of fl where intelligent life evolves
- Question: On the planets where life does evolve, what percentage evolves intelligent life?
- Answer: Estimates range from 100% (intelligence is such a survival advantage that it will certainly evolve) down to near 0%.
- fc is the fraction of fi that communicate
- Question: What percentage of intelligent races have the means and the desire to communicate?
- Answer: 10% to 20%
- fL is fraction of the planet's life during which the communicating civilizations live
- Question: For each civilization that does communicate, for what fraction of the planet's life does the civilization survive?
- Answer: This is the toughest of the questions. If we take Earth as an example, the expected lifetime of our Sun and the Earth is roughly 10 billion years. So far we've been communicating with radio waves for less than 100 years. How long will our civilization survive? Will we destroy ourselves in a few years like some predict or will we overcome our problems and survive for millennia? If we were destroyed tomorrow the answer to this question would be 1/100,000,000th. If we survive for 10,000 years the answer will be 1/1,000,000th.
- When all of these variables are multiplied together when come up with:
- N, the number of communicating civilizations in the galaxy.
The real value of the Drake Equation is not in the answer itself, but the questions that are prompted when attempting to come up with an answer. Obviously there is a tremendous amount of guess work involved when filling in the variables. As we learn more from astronomy, biology, and other sciences, we'll be able to better estimate the answers to the above questions.
To: Focault's Pendulum
Thanks FP, it’ll probably get refinements, but the estimate will indeed continue to change over time as more data is collected. This beats the psychic approach taken by far too many.
24
posted on
03/25/2014 11:29:39 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: T. P. Pole
What’s your beef with IR?
(Every digital image has been “reconstructed.”)
25
posted on
03/25/2014 11:34:24 AM PDT
by
Atlas Sneezed
("Income Inequality?" Let's start with Washington DC vs. the rest of the nation!)
To: Focault's Pendulum
“Obviously there is a tremendous amount of guess work involved when filling in the variables.”
Yeah... and understatement to be sure, because it’s all pretty much guesswork.
The more I’ve learned about how the earth-moon system works the more I come to appreciate just how unique our planet may be — and that implies that this particular creation (if you’ll allow the term) is pretty unique.
26
posted on
03/25/2014 11:36:26 AM PDT
by
Tallguy
To: Paladin2
No, we should just send all the lefty liberal fanatics there so that they can start up their own societies. It’ll be a good experiment to see how well they do on their self made socialism. Of course they will be the aliens there so they will have to deal with the natives.
27
posted on
03/25/2014 11:38:43 AM PDT
by
Vinylly
(?)
To: Red Badger
I’m in, when do we leave?
28
posted on
03/25/2014 11:38:53 AM PDT
by
READINABLUESTATE
("If guns cause crime, there must be something wrong with mine." -Ted Nugent)
To: Tallguy
I come to appreciate just how unique our planet may be and that implies that this particular creation (if youll allow the term) is pretty unique. Just think. If there were only one unique creation per galaxy, how many billion of sentient life forms there would be?
To: Red Badger
Good news, but how many 100s of light years away is it-I didn’t see that in the article. Even if life is everywhere in the universe, if we can’t travel to, or even communicate with each other in a timely manner, we may as well be alone...
Maybe we should concentrate on putting a base on the moon and building a self-sustaining colony on Mars?
30
posted on
03/25/2014 11:41:13 AM PDT
by
Texan5
("You've got to saddle up your boys, you've got to draw a hard line"...)
To: backwoods-engineer
Never say ‘never’.......................
31
posted on
03/25/2014 11:45:01 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
To: backwoods-engineer
32
posted on
03/25/2014 11:46:46 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
To: Texan5
The Heinlein Plan...................
33
posted on
03/25/2014 11:47:15 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
To: backwoods-engineer
Scientists will never find another Earth in this galaxy, I predict, because they are so exceedingly rare, there might not even be another one in the Local Group. And if they do, we will never be able to go there. No, there are millions. I came from one of them.
34
posted on
03/25/2014 11:47:46 AM PDT
by
Lazamataz
(Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
To: READINABLUESTATE
Just as soon as we invent Dilithium crystals, warp drives and sub-space communications..................
35
posted on
03/25/2014 11:48:35 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
To: SampleMan
Mars on one side, Venus on the other.................
36
posted on
03/25/2014 11:51:02 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
To: Red Badger
“Just as soon as we invent Dilithium crystals, warp drives and sub-space communications..................”
I’ll get right on that.....
37
posted on
03/25/2014 11:52:41 AM PDT
by
READINABLUESTATE
("If guns cause crime, there must be something wrong with mine." -Ted Nugent)
To: T. P. Pole; Atlas Sneezed
38
posted on
03/25/2014 11:53:51 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
To: Red Badger
They can find a planet billions and billions (a little Carl Sagan lingo) of miles away but cant locate an airliner on the earth.................. Well hell, all they need to do is *git* the Kepler space telescope cranked around and a pointing at the Indian ocean and they'd find the sucker............Just saying :)
39
posted on
03/25/2014 11:54:32 AM PDT
by
The Cajun
(tea party!!!, Sarah Palin, Mark Levin, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Louie Godart......Nuff said.)
To: Texan5
...but how many 100s of light years away is it-I didnt see that in the article. The info on the exact star is being withheld until further notice................
40
posted on
03/25/2014 11:55:20 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-76 next last
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.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson