There’ve been many newly-discovered candidates in recent years for solar systems like our own, but this latest, the work of researchers from eleven countries (led by Ohio State) and published in the journal Science, appears to be the best of the bunch–finding the giant gas planets sufficiently far from the sun to leave room for rocky planets like Earth. If so, then the home planet would be alone no more.
UPDATE: Indeed, many, if not most, nearby sunlike stars may have rocky, Earthlike planets.
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Posted in Science/Engineering, Space
Tagged extrasolar planets, Science journal
A light echo, about six light years in diameter, from the first recorded stellar flash in the Milky Way.
Physics Nobelist Steven Weinberg–or Big Steve as his graduate students at the University of Texas call him–is down on human spaceflight, particularly NASA’s latest goals of sending humanity to the moon and Mars. Down as in against it. Weinberg, who is quite the Austin party animal, makes some sense on it, at least on not sending anyone to Mars until robots like Spirit and Opportunity have thoroughly explored the place and found all the potentially-interesting sites. He does think it’s worth considering Mars as a Lifeboat for humanity. But he doesn’t consider the moon in this lengthy but worthwhile interview with The Space Review. Possibly because better arguments can be made for sending people there, such as trying to mine oxygen, doing hydroponics for future Mars flights, building a deep space telescope, etc.–and, frankly, just for the hell of it. Be lots cheaper than Mars, too. Anyway, read what Big Steve has to say. Afterall, his field, particle physics, invented the Web you’re enjoying. Just too bad he doesn’t discuss a moon colony.
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Posted in Science/Engineering, Space, Texana
Tagged manned spaceflight, Steven Weinberg
Doesn’t sound as romantic as "out of this world," now, does it? But, hey, for a few hundred thou Virgin Galactic (another exaggerated idea) will give you a slow climb through the clouds and into the black followed by a whole 4.5 minutes of microgravity. Hardly enough time to think, "Wow, I’m really in space, by golly, gee whiz." Well, actually, you’ll be in LEO, otherwise known as Low Earth Orbit. More accurately, sub-orbital. Rather dull, actually, except for the view of Earth’s curvature and the multiple sunrises and sunsets. Only you won’t have time to see more than one or the other. The stars you’ll have to leave for another time. A rather long time, most likely. Not to mention the galactic part.
I grant you this conjunction of the double remnants of two supernova looks like a kindergartener’s sloppy attempt to modify his watercolor. But, man, look at the density of that star field in the background. When you talk about going into the black, you don’t normally think of this kind of illumination. Getting there could be a problem, though. It’s 160,000 light years away.
A mere 400 light years away. An overnighter, for sure, once we get the propulsion worked out.
Mars, left, and my old buddy Orion, right, over Monument Valley, Arizona. Via The World At Night.
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