Earth’s Bigger Older Cousin May Be One of Many
Prince George, B.C. – While there has been a great deal of excitement over the discovery of Kepler-452b, a planet NASA has labelled Earth’s “bigger older cousin”, the Prince George Royal Astronomical Society isn’t surprised that a potentially life sustaining planet has been found.
What is remarkable says Blair Stunder, President of the local society, is that K-452b was spotted at all “It’s like looking at a light way down the street, and someone walks in front of that light. The light, or portion of it, is blocked for a moment. ” He says if one continues with that analogy, what is not seen is perhaps the hundreds of people who are on both sides of the street, but are not crossing in front of that light.” So it’s possible there are many more planets that NASA isn’t seeing. He says it’s all about the angles “”Look at Venus, it’s orbit is just 4 degrees different from Earth’s and we only see it pass between the Earth and the Sun every 112 years.”
NASA says K-452b is in the ‘habitable” zone orbit of its sun, meaning it may have liquid necessary to sustain life. It is 60% larger than Earth, and likely has a rocky surface. But man won’t be going there any time soon. “It’s 1400 light years away” says Stunder, “So what is being seen now, is light that was emitted 1400 years ago, around the time of the collapse of the Roman Empire.”
The Kepler spacecraft was launched in March of 2009. Its mission is to seek signs of other Earth like planets orbiting stars similar to our Sun. The area which Kepler is examining, contains about 150 thousand stars like the sun, and Kepler is watching for any slight dimming of those stars as planets pass between the star and Kepler.
So far, Kepler has noted 4,696 possible planets, but only 12 that are less than twice the size of Earth orbiting in a habitable zone.
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Given how large the galaxy is there is likely thousands of habitable planets within it. Take in the whole Universe and the number of habitable planets is huge.
Can we get to them? Time will tell….
I can hardly wait.
dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/05/stephen-hawking-on-non-carbon-based-alien-life.html
It is one thing to try to find a planet on which our form of life would be able to survive, it is another thing to try to figure out what other types of life forms may actually be able to exist.
Just as a for instance, some scientist believe that water is not needed. Ammonia could do the trick also.
The definition of “life” includes some key characteristics: the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
To think that carbon based (organic) life is the only possibility is very narrow minded.
Gopg2015, one thing to remember..that’s our definition of life… Who knows what they call “life” on other planets..
Not only is it our definition but who knows, there may be other life forms on this earth which are not carbon based and have a totally different definition. In fact, they may not have a definition at all. They may merely carry on with their business and wish we would mind our own instead of stepping on them whenever we walk outside.
For all we know there could be life abounding in inner space, let alone outer space.
The make up of the average atom is very similar to a solar system. You have the nucleus (the sun) being orbited by electrons (planets). Who’s to say that there isn’t life on an electron that is just too small for our observational abilities?
Or perhaps, Earth is nothing more than an electron of the atomic element Fluorine.
@gopg2015 – taking Hawking’s word on alien life, is like taking an employee at Home Depot’s advice for renovations. Hawking , and the Home Depot guy , are just guessing.
Just like I tell vegans, carrots are alive, just because you don’t hear them scream doesn’t mean they aren’t :). You are still killing them to eat them :-)
Maybe one day we will discover a planet that is run by carrots and they are mad at us ..lol
Brother Gecko that may have been true until recently when we dropped Pluto as a planet. Now we are an electron in the element oxygen.
Time to dig my tinfoil hat out of storage… ;) post apocalyptic carrots hahaha, good one PVal
Well slinky, if you think just the tar sands is 3% of Canada’s GDP, maybe you should email “The Economist” and tell them they are wrong?
www. economist.com/news/americas/21641288-growth-shifting-oil-producing-west-back-traditional-economic-heartland
You’re wrong sage . That 3% figure was based on much higher prices back in January . So the 3% figure is waaay too high . Stevie and the Kocks have the biggest wool hat ever knitted tightly on the noggins of the ill informed .
Pg101, while nobody really knows what form alien life may be or take ( except the folks at Area 51 & they aren’t talking), I would listen to Stephen Hawking’s “guesses” a lot more closely than most. I do know if our species can keep from self annihilation our grandchildren’s grandchildren probably still won’t live to see us explore other planets capable of sustaining human life.
Good point Ataloss, given today’s oil and gas prices, oil is not even close to being 3% of Canada’s GDP anymore. Busy trying to counteract the pro-oil people on here who constantly try to positive spin the very dirty and destructive Tar Sands industry.
These are the breakdowns for the industrial sectors under Goods Producing and Service-Producing Industries. Notice that oil and gas EXTRACTION are tied in with mining and quarrying.
Also, please note that the refining of oil and processing of gas to extract sulphur as well as compression of NG to LNG is captured under manufacturing. The same holds for forestry.
The transportation of all those natural resource products is also cover separately under the service producing industries.
I won’t even go to the housing of workers, feeding, entertainment, financing, etc. which provide services for them.
Thus we are looking at something well over 3% of the total economy of Canada.
Notice that the service-producing industry is 70% of GDP also that the highest single industrial sector is real estate, rental and leasing with finance and insurance as high as health care and social assistance. Strangely enough we keep talking about the cost of health care but never the cost of finance and insurance.
From StasCan for 2014
Goods-producing industries 30.3%
Manufacturing 10.6%
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction 8.5%
Construction 7.2%
Utilities 2.4%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 1.6%
Service-producing industries 69.7%
Real estate and rental and leasing 12.6%
Finance and insurance 6.8%
Health care and social assistance 6.8%
Public administration 6.7%
Wholesale trade 5.6%
Retail trade 5.4%
Professional, scientific and technical services 5.3%
Educational services 5.2%
Transportation and warehousing 4.2%
Information and cultural industries 3.2%
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services 2.5%
Accommodation and food services 2.1%
Other services (except public administration) 2.0%
Management of companies and enterprises 0.7%
Arts, entertainment and recreation 0.7%
nrcan.gc.ca/publications/statistics-facts/1239
“In 2010, the GDP of Canada’s energy sector – i.e. industries involved in the production, transformation and transportation of energy – reached $84.3 billion (in 2002 constant dollars), accounting for 6.8 percent of Canadian GDP”
Even the Economist can be wrong.
There is a reason why we had a petro dollar for a while. But that is no more at the moment. But Alberta got some good highways out of the deal as well as urban infrastructure.
Interesting stats, no doubt. What does any of the past few posts have to do with Kepler – 452B? Is Canada getting ahead of the curve & opening free trade with the super intelligent carrots from Kepler – 452B P Val was referring to?
“What does any of the past few posts have to do with Kepler-452B?”
Nothing really, its just that AtalosSage turns even numbered days into bash the Federal gov days, and odd numbered days are for bashing the Provincial gov.
Ooops… sorry.
I find space exploration and travel fascinating. It makes us aware of how small we are in the Universe, yet also gives us hope that with the advancement of science, and our ability to learn and adapt, we can over come great challenges and obstacle. Only if we are willing.
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