They didn't just kill two birds with one stone, no no no... They freaking discovered 715 new planets with one single space observatory! These NASA guys, never disappointing ;)
In 2009, NASA launched the Kepler space observatory with the specific objective to find planets similar to the Earth, that is to say, planets that are located in a habitable zone. In this context, a habitable zone refers to a planet that is at the right distance from its sun, the central star of its galaxy, so that the temperature conditions on the planet enable the existence of liquid water, the basic substance for life, as we know it on Earth, to subsist.
Until recently, we had accumulated data about approximately 1000 planets altogether. This Wednesday NASA announced the discovery of seven hundred fifteen new planets. At once. Quite a lucky day I guess, hitting the jackpot, finding the intergalactical mother lode.
4 of the planets among that long list are possible candidates for hosting life. All of them have a similar size, more or less twice the Earth's size. This is no coincidence, though. NASA tried a new way of planet researching using the technique of verification by multiplicity which, as we know now, opened the bottleneck. Basically that means two things. First, they took advantage of the laws of probability by focusing on stars that are likely to have a higher number of planets travelling around them in their respective orbits. So, more planets equals a better chance of finding a planet of interest. Second, once they found a planet that verified the desired conditions, they used the data to reveal other planets that are alike. Initially the technique is biased on planets close to the star in the center of the galaxy in question, afterwards it "opens its mind" to other planets orbiting with bigger radii (well, to be accurate, the orbits are elliptic and not perfect circles and thus, technically, I shouldn't use the word "radius"... But anyway, you know what I mean).
I must say that I do believe that life exists at another place in the universe besides from the Earth. The universe is just too big and I think it's absurd that intelligent life, able to comprehend the nature that originated it, has only formed at one exclusive place. Just imagine a III World War takes place and the human race extinguishes itself. Then what? It's like that example of the tree that falls in a solitary forest. If there's no one in the wood, does the tree make noise falling? No, because there's no one hearing it. The only thing the tree does is causing vibrations in the air that originate what we call soundwaves, merely a physical process. So if the universe keeps expanding, physical processes keep ocurring but there's no intelligent life to reflect about it anymore... Then what's the point? Wouldn't it be completely senseless?
Oh and I think I'm starting to fancy a trip to the moon. Or another celestial body if science will have progressed enough until I'm ready to do it, which I highly doubt. I don't know, just imagine being out there, in the space... Looking at your home planet from such a long distance. I'm sure it completely changes your conception of life. One day guys, either I become an astronaut or insolently rich, it's really that easy.
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| g/6 |
Aliens taught me 3 new words. Quick, have a look at the definition (now the English definition and not just the egoistic German traduction!!!) before the Men in Black come and erase my memory!
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