Earth II hunt: planet found

Got a question on astronomy that you'd wanted to ask? Ask your questions here and see if the old timers can give you some good answers.
annechan
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:17 pm
Location: NUS

Post by annechan »

20.5 light years seems very far if we want to go there and drop a "hi" :D Still, maybe we should consider sending a signal of some kind. Hopefully there's some kind of intelligent living beings there that can reply to us :)

I'm just wondering, is there any chance that the information has been exaggerated or so? Scientific findings these days are really blown up by journalists sometimes.
User avatar
yanyewkay
Posts: 251
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:08 am

Post by yanyewkay »

the signal will reach only 20.5 years later.. If any martians were to reply, it'll be another 20.5 years :lol:
annechan
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:17 pm
Location: NUS

Post by annechan »

Provided they're developed enough :|
User avatar
weixing
Super Moderator
Posts: 4708
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2003 12:22 am
Favourite scope: Vixen R200SS & Celestron 6" F5 Achro Refractor
Location: (Tampines) Earth of Solar System in Orion Arm of Milky Way Galaxy in Local Group Galaxies Cluster

Post by weixing »

Hi,
Still, maybe we should consider sending a signal of some kind. Hopefully there's some kind of intelligent living beings there that can reply to us
They already done that on the afternoon of Nov. 16, 1974 via the Arecibo radio telescope. Below is the website for those interested:
http://www.news.cornell.edu/chronicle/9 ... ssage.html

Anyway, IMHO, it's dangerous to announce your present and location in the nature world... you'll never know "who" is listening.

Have a nice day.
Yang Weixing
:mrgreen: "The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance." :mrgreen:
annechan
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:17 pm
Location: NUS

Post by annechan »

Oh thanks for providing us the link :D

But then if they're developed enough then we should have received something right? Maybe it's better to be alone in the universe after all. Personally I would prefer so :|
User avatar
Airconvent
Super Moderator
Posts: 5784
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2003 11:49 pm
Location: United Federation of the Planets

Post by Airconvent »

I think the title being used by the press is too misleading.
what they are actually saying is they found what is likely a rocky planet similar to Earth. As to size and composition, its going to be difficult to confirm. We have problems confirming what Pluto is made of and what is in its atmosphere. Would be ridiculous if they can do so for a planet that is 20 light years away! But one must admit the revelations from the conclusions based on the evidence seen so far is intriguing.
Alsol, the planet is circling a red dwarf, probably not getting enough heat to sustain life as we know it...
The Boldly Go Where No Meade Has Gone Before
Captain, RSS Enterprise NCC1701R
United Federation of the Planets
geeksoo
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2004 6:35 pm

Post by geeksoo »

the planet is circling a red dwarf, probably not getting enough heat to sustain life as we know it...
Hmm... I don't think that is quite important, cus even for red dwarfs, they have their own habitable zone, just that it is nearer to the parent star. Whether or not Gl 581 b,c can sustain life really depends on their atmosphere composition and its orbital to spin angular momenta ratio.
User avatar
yanyewkay
Posts: 251
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:08 am

Post by yanyewkay »

annechan wrote:Oh thanks for providing us the link :D

But then if they're developed enough then we should have received something right? Maybe it's better to be alone in the universe after all. Personally I would prefer so :|
They might also have sent something back but are we able to receive it?
In current context, there are so many types of wireless transmission, NONE cross-compatible. eg: GSM and CDMA requires different decoding, FM and AM radios, TV and satellite, bluetooth, wifi, etc...

We might even be looking and receiving the signals but just have no idea that it's there. Same applied on the alien end :lol:
User avatar
Clifford60
Posts: 1289
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2006 8:41 pm
Location: Central

Post by Clifford60 »

yanyewkay wrote: NONE cross-compatible. eg: GSM and CDMA requires different decoding, FM and AM radios, TV and satellite, bluetooth, wifi, etc...
Most systems mentioned above travel very short distance, so can't reach space

Space or satellite comm x'mit in powerful microwave. The problem is coding method like E^2PRML, etc and modulation like PCM, etc which the alien whether more adv or otherwise may not match ours. The other thing is the signal path, just like a beam of light, did we hit the correct target. So, at the end may be NO comm with them. :cry: :cry:
User avatar
weixing
Super Moderator
Posts: 4708
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2003 12:22 am
Favourite scope: Vixen R200SS & Celestron 6" F5 Achro Refractor
Location: (Tampines) Earth of Solar System in Orion Arm of Milky Way Galaxy in Local Group Galaxies Cluster

Post by weixing »

Hi,
We might even be looking and receiving the signals but just have no idea that it's there. Same applied on the alien end
IMHO, the key is to detect that non earth origin artificial signal... whether can we understand the message is another issue.

Have a nice day.
Yang Weixing
:mrgreen: "The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance." :mrgreen:
Post Reply