Exoplanets

[DR]

As of 20 January 2011 there are 519 extra-solar planets.

January 10th: Kepler 10b was the first rocky planet discovered by the the Kepler Space Telescope using the transiting method around the star Kepler 10.

Kepler 10c has been detected as well but it is yet to be confirmed.

Exoplanets are named after their star in the order of their discovery as indicated by 'b' 'c' etc.

The transiting method is the measurement of the light from the given star as it diminishes slightly as a planet crosses in front of it similar to an eclipse. The limitation of this method is that it is only available to solar systems that are edge on from our view.

The Kepler Space telescope was designed to search for Earth like planets.

[TOvA~]

That is just a trip.
519 extra solar planets and people really think we are the only ones inhabiting the universe?

[DR]

It may seem reasonable that life is everywhere in the Cosmos but it is also reasonable that it is not. What? Am I nuts? I could be however, there are some things to consider. Among my astrophysical colleagues there are three major camps.

Camp Alpha says that life is everywhere and therefore there are civilizations by the tens of billions within the Universe.

Camp Beta says that just because there are 70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars in the Universe only a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of them will contain life within their solar systems and it is possible that we are alone in the Verse.

Camp Delta says there are three types of life in the Universe that we observe right here on Planet Earth. They are Simple Life, Complex Life, and Sentient, or Intelligent Life. Using the Earth as the analog, or example of the distribution of life within the Verse we can conclude that life itself is abundant throughout the Cosmic tapestry. However, Simple Life will be profuse, abundant, and found everywhere. Complex Life on the other hand will be far more rare than Simple Life because of the environmental parameters which are more restrictive for it to evolve, and thrive. Sentient Life will be way more rare than even Complex life which will reduce the possible number of Civilizations to a minimum.

We can break this down even farther by making the distinction between Intelligent Life, and Space Faring or technological producing Life Like ourselves. Not all intelligent life will produce a civilization, and not all civilizations will ever make it into space for many reasons.

Again, using the only example we have; that is to say us, we may conclude that Space Travelers will be very rare indeed. Of course when you are speaking of a Universe with 70 septillion stars a rare thing can still add up to tens of millions.

Here on Earth we know that the vast amount of life is Simple. Microbial life can be found in the most extreme environments here on Earth. From boiling toxic ponds to the crushing depths of the ocean, and miles underground living off of rocks. They are found even in ice in caves, from the hottest, and coldest places on the planet. Microbes are everywhere and they make up the largest proportion of species on the planet.

Because Earth is in such a perfect place in the Universe and has the fortune of fitting into a couple of hundred finely tuned parameters we also have an abundance of complex life which can be found all over the planet but not found in the extreme places where they cannot survive.

We are also blessed with several species of Sentient or Self Aware creatures as well. There are many animals that use tools, some even modify the tools they use but there is only one species out of the millions of species that is capable of technology and by extension Space Travel.

I believe that the Earth is a good analog for life in the Universe as a whole. millions of species of microbes found almost everywhere, hundreds of thousands of complex species, hundreds of intelligent species, a few sentient self aware species, and one species capable of Cosmic exploration.

So there you have it, a fairly good picture of how life is distributed throughout the Verse.

[TOvA~]

OK... that was a great read!
I tend to fall in the "Delta Camp" too... now that I have an understanding of it. It makes perfect sense because basically, it is fashioned after the old adage "As Above, So Below", lol

Truthfully, embracing the "DC" takes the power right out of many of the conspiracy theories that involve ETs as well. If a person were to believe in even a fraction of the stories out there, regarding off site species that want to intervene, one could go literally mad!

Thanks for this great topic Birthday Boy!

BTW... I just heard something regarding actual intelligence on Earth, and that a relatively small portion of Gaia's occupants actually posses it on a meaningful level? Do you think that is true?

[DR]

Yes I do. All of the great apes, elephants, cetaceans, and some birds.

[TOvA~]

I was unclear man...lol
The person was talking about people!

[DR]

I don't think we are the only self aware life form on Earth. We may be the highest intelligence but certainly not the only one.

[TOvA~]

That is a little ego based Doctor Sir... I mean, surely there are other life forms smarter than us? We aren't THAT bright, considering we are still fighting amongst ourselves.... constantly, lol

[DR]

Don't be silly. Show me another species on Earth that is more intelligent.

[TOvA~]

Ha ha ha... I rest my case!
I meant the whole galaxy, not just Earth...lol
MY BAD

[DR]

OK, show a more intelligent species in the Galaxy then. lol There is no escape my young Padawan.

[DR]

As of today 527 ESP [extra solar planets]

[DR]

531 planets and counting

[TOvA~]

I can't even get my mind around that! Let me know when we get to 555 :)

[DR]

As of today there are 536 and more on the way.

[DR]

538 planets

[DR]

547 planets now.

[DR]

551 planets and counting.

[DR]

I am amazed at the rapidity of the discovery of new planets. I went the first fifty years of my life with no new planets, if fact we lost one. Now we are finding several a month.

555 as of today.

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