Newsflash: What were you doing on the day that Science discovered magic?
Jake Farr-Wharton 16 comments Poll
I love science! Seriously, I love the shit out of it! Especially astronomy… which is about 80% of the reason I’m doing a science degree majoring in astronomy.
That said, I just about sharted out a kitten last week when it was ‘discovered’ that a planet had been discovered, Gliese 581g, 20 light years away… WHICH HAD A 100% CHANCE OF LIFE.
Needless to say, my sceptical senses were tingling worse than that time… I won’t finish that analogy. Nonetheless, lets take a look.
How are planets in distant solar systems 'discovered'?
Firstly, it's important to recognise that the discovery of a planet in a distant solar system is not made by direct observation. We can not see the planet its self, we can however, interpret its existence and composition by staring at it for long enough, and with enough high sensitivity equipment.
Point a telescope at a distant star and watch as it 'dances'. The process is actually called radial-velocity and analysis of the Doppler shifts in the host star's light as orbiting planets tug on the star, drawing it nearer to and then farther from Earth. It effectively watches for the brightening and dimming of light put out by the star as the planet passes in front of our 'line of sight' of the star.
Analysing the frequency of this allows us to determine the speed of orbit and the relative distance from the star, and (here's the important bit) with a few extra calculations, we can discover the relative size of the planets.
Now, until this most recent discovery, the smallest planets we'd discovered were around 1.4 times the size of Jupiter (i.e. massive Gas Giants) and had very fast orbits around their stars (which was an advantage, because analysing star dances requires someone to watch for the dances (i.e. orbits around the sun) which can take many, many years.
Our largest gas giant, Jupiter, takes 11.86 Earth years to orbit our sun, so for a scientist in a distant solar system analysing our largest starlight obstructor, they'd have to wait over a decade to see just one... and you'd probably want at least 2-3 dances to confirm your finding.
Further to this, analysing the spectrums of light that stream past the starlight obstructing can tell you the 'exact' density and composition of the planets. Different gases, liquids and solids refract light in different ways and from this we can tell if the planet has an atmosphere, and which of the sexy particles make up this atmosphere.
Could life exist there?
Now, the distance from the sun is the important part in this case because it tells us how hot or cold the planet might be. In fact, you only need to look at the relative differences in our solar system to understand the importance of distance. Too close to the sun and you're Mercury and are unable to sustain an atmosphere, too far and any water is frozen solid.
Even then, though, there are the creepy little buggers we've called 'extremeophiles' which produce energy through chemosynthesis on massive bubbling smoke stacks the ocean floor. So while being in 'the goldilocks zone' might be advantageous, where you're just the right distance to allow for liquid water, it is not necessarily necessary for life to exist.
Remember that there are billions of cells in your body which live in acid, and thrive... and can not exist outside of that environment.
Life could definitely exist elsewhere in the Solar System; on one of the moons of Jupiter or Uranus; deep within an underground aquifer within the bowels of Mars; or lying frozen within the icy interior of Halley’s Comet. So why not elsewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy?
While this recent discovery has found an ‘Earth-like’ planet, it is many, many times larger than the planet on which we reside; it is orbiting a Red Dwarf (which is around <40% of the mass of our sun); and it is 20 light years from earth.
Our observations allow us to draw conclusions with some amount of certainty, but keep in mind that nothing is set in stone. So when you read that this discovery heralds a 100% chance of life, ensure that you maintain a healthy skepticism towards the claim.
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Skepticism is my middle name. As soon as my kids were old enough to understand I taught them two things.
1) When in public restrooms: DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING
2) Don't believe anything.
f~
Jake Farr-Wharton
Monday 4th October 2010 | 11:41 AM...in response to this comment by Henk V. Henk, I'm part time and in semester 1, year 1, doing calculus and Cosmology.
It's a BSc. majoring in Physical Science.... my foot in the door to universe sized things.
Jake Farr-Wharton
Monday 4th October 2010 | 11:44 AMFriendo, that is a good motto, mate, the sort that all parents and teachers should foster in their children and students.
I can attest to the damage that it does to a child's development when they get smacked with a metre ruler in front of the class for asking questions... that said, it was sex ed and the teacher was hot.
Henk V
Monday 4th October 2010 | 02:14 PMAll I can advise about math is to do at least an hour of math a day... sort of like music.
and if you are the sort of person to do cross words.. get a math for economics book for rest room crossword alternative (there is a nice simple joke on every page!)
Friendo, ive given up on skepticism whilst I try and pare all beliefs. They arent that obvious when you think about it...
Henk V
Monday 4th October 2010 | 02:16 PMI got hit by a teacher.. thirty two times in front of a class (legs red/raw) when I was 6.
One of my still best mates has issues over this 46 years later
TVBIZ(BOB)
Monday 4th October 2010 | 06:16 PMThe question about life existing elsewhere in the Universe can easily be answered!
How?
By looking at life on this blue ball.
Life just didn't start by itself, the building blocks had to come from somewhere and that somewhere is space.
If life could form on this planet then life could form on any other planet as long as the conditions are similar for this life form.
What was the saying out of a very popular Jodie Foster film?
"If life doesn't exist elsewhere in the Universe then there is a lot of wasted space" or something to that effect..........
Henk V
Monday 4th October 2010 | 08:07 PMno it just means you are a lot luckier than you think
Jake Farr-Wharton
Tuesday 5th October 2010 | 08:31 AM...in response to this comment by TVBIZ(BOB). Bob, it would be a terrible waste.
Henk V
Tuesday 5th October 2010 | 09:07 AMthat's an entirely unscientific comment Jake!
Jake Farr-Wharton
Tuesday 5th October 2010 | 01:54 PMShould I have postulated it in the form of calculus ?
Henk V
Tuesday 5th October 2010 | 07:40 PMno, and try and think for once, I am not Ju Ju... What a waste of what?
waste of space?
If this is the only planet in the only universe to support life then this planet is extremely... insanely unique.
All the better reason for education and treating this planet correctly.
What a waste of math 1...
rifleman
Wednesday 6th October 2010 | 07:39 AMYeah and if you look closely at the picture you can see the space ship hangars and all the lizard people forming ranks
Better get those tin foil hats ready.
As you people go through your schooling you will learn to leave the myths and fairytails to the kids
Sceptical senses are you kidding
How dare you use the word science in relation this pile of utter BS
Henk V
Wednesday 6th October 2010 | 10:41 AMFor me? I don't really care as a planet is a planet... only interesting as it unfolds. The more science reveals the structure and composition of anything the more interesting it becomes.
Of course David Icke must be right rifleman.. it's all we ever talk about around here. Hope you and Goldilocks have a love child.
We know bugger all about this body other than the initial observations. It will be a very long time indeed before we can really start peeking at extra solars. Exoplanetary studies is just another way of doing science. Thankfully its up and running in its infancy!
Jake is right to make these reports, the religious ones are too confined in this community and for me, I really don't give a shit about throw away apps or junk economics.
As I said before, I would like to post science reports about what goes on when you digest and metabolise food, how important the meter is and just what antimatter means to you. But that is boring stuff, Steve Jobs and Ipads, duke nukem and doom seem to have a high interest level.
Good on Jake for raising the friggen bar!
Rodney
Wednesday 13th October 2010 | 02:19 PMTurns out the planet may not even exist:
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/10/recently-discovered-habitable-world.html
"...Switzerland-based astronomers announced that they could find no trace of the prized planet in their observations of the same planetary system..."
Henk V
Wednesday 13th October 2010 | 05:51 PMthe peekaboo principle... used to play it with the kids when they were babies.
I think the golgifrinchans are the best to ask (if they havent all died off on the ark).
Henk V
Monday 4th October 2010 | 10:07 AMGeological factors come into play as well... make that exoplanetary factors
Which strand are you studying Jake?