Posted on 02/22/2017 3:26:41 PM PST by Salman
In 1950, physicist Enrico Fermi famously asked, "Where are they?" as a kind of lament about the lack of observational evidence for alien intelligence in our universe. Today, the question is still asked in the context of the always-hoped-for discovery of other worlds like our own, with the thought that maybe, just maybe, we will finally find those aliens.
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The two most fruitful methods for discovering exoplanets (the "transit method" and the "radial velocity method") both give a straightforward way to determine the distance between a star and an exoplanet. That, together with our knowledge of how much heat is given off by the star, lets us calculate whether the planet is in the star's habitable zone. But, as we have seen, that is not the same thing as discovering a habitable planet.
Nevertheless, discoveries of planets in the habitable zones of other stars have been identified in the media and even in press releases of scientific institutions as discoveries of second Earths. Since we do not know the surface temperatures of any exoplanet, whether they are actual Earth analogues can only be guessed at using other lines of evidence.
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(Excerpt) Read more at spacedaily.com ...
“Habitable” doesn’t mean “inhabited” any more than “drivable” means that there are cars or “navigable” means that there are ships.
We now know that complex organic molecules are common throughout the galaxy. Apparently, all it takes to create them is:
1. The necessary elements;
2. An energy source;
3. A turbulent medium (either liquid or gas) that will contain the elements and energy so they can react with each other; and
4. Millions of years.
The theory is that with more millions or billions of years the complex organic molecules will somehow evolve into living organisms. The problem is that no one has ever actually figured out how to convert complex organic molecules into even the simplest living organism.
It is possible that, given enough time and the right conditions, life will eventually evolve from organic molecules. It is also possible that the evolution of life on Earth required an infinite number of trillion to one occurrences that have never or extremely rarely all occurred anywhere else.
It is like the old infinite monkey theorem: Given enough time and an infinite number of monkeys banging on typewriters, one of them will eventually reproduce all of the works of Shakespeare. The universe of planets could be the infinite number of monkeys banging on typewriters and Earth could be the only one that resulted in life.
If we actually find even simple living organisms on Mars, Europa, Titan, Enceladus or anywhere else in the solar system that appears to have the necessary mix of conditions, then it is likely that life is common throughout the universe. If, however, it turns out that the rest of the solar system is sterile, then it is possible that the rest of the universe is just as sterile.
Will was adopted.
His real name was Anthony Freemont.
It’s budget time... they want more funding.
There are probably countless habitable zone, right mass worlds out there, there are probably very few far enough out on the galactic limbs to avoid being completely hosed by nearby passages of other large bodies.
Those worlds would be colonizable, but would have a low probability of experiencing quiet development for long enough periods to accumulate complex life.
It may be lonely out here on the arm, but at least we don’t have 1/2 light year star passages that expand our orbit, send 30% of the Oort Cloud inbound or toss us into the sun...
IIRC, SETI is privately funded now.
“The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The walls are covered to the ceilings with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written these books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. But the child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books — a mysterious order which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects.” - Albert Einstein
Bingo!
We have the winner!
RIGHT ON! I have the book Dr. Gonzalez has in his hands in that photo, in my library at home. I’ve heard him speak. Brilliant.
We are alone...
I’m not traveling on any craft but, ‘Serenity.’ ;)
Then that makes us pretty special.
Assuming they are habitable is unwarranted based on the information. It is to get more money for more exploration.
Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMaschiach, is returning to this earth
very soon; and I don’t want to be off on some other planet
farting around when He returns!
Oh no kidding.
I have worked with a little the math that describes the natural processes, especially at the molecular level, and it absolutely weird. If you believe that that is the real world, then this world that we live in and we perceive with our senses and form our ideas is a big lie and we are fools. Ironically, that includes science.
And by extension, there is a lot more going on in nature that our simple minds can comprehend. Even the most brilliant scientist doesn’t understand and may never understand. Even collectively we may never know.
There is another component — time.
Other beings may have existed or will exist but we weren’t around or will not be around when they reach the level to be able to communicate across space.
Also, until we can travel across the vast distances between stars within a fraction of a human lifetime, we will never know and will forever have to speculate.
If our Voyager spacecraft had been set on an intercept course, it would take right at 100K years to travel 4.3 light years to Alpha Centari.
Our universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding,
In all of the directions it can whiz;
As fast as it can go, at the speed of light, you know,
Twelve million miles a minute and that’s the fastest speed there is.
So remember, when you’re feeling very small and insecure,
How amazingly unlikely is your birth;
And pray that there’s intelligent life somewhere out in space,
‘Cause there’s bugger all down here on Earth!
Why can't both be real ?
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