Preview

Earth-Like Planets, Life or Lifeless?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
791 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Earth-Like Planets, Life or Lifeless?
Earth-like Planets, Life or Lifeless?

For centuries man has looked at the sky, and wondered, is someone looking back? Science is now closer than ever to answering this quest that is nearly as old as mankind itself. In the last century new technologies and scientific break-throughs have showed us that planets do exist in other solar systems and that there is a probability for other earth-like planets. We have also recognized the parameters and building blocks for life as we know them on earth. But, given these building blocks and parameters, would life actually develop or exist on other worlds? First, an Earth-like planet is very specific. It must have at least a surface that contains liquid water and an atmosphere. It must also be not only in a planetary system’s habitable zone, but also in a galactic habitable zone. The habitable zone in a planetary system is the zone in the system where liquid water can exist on a planet’s surface and directly proportional to the energy output of the system’s star. For a planetary system to be habitable in a galaxy, it must be far enough away from the galactic center so that radiation levels are low enough for life to develop. Another requirement for Earth-like life to develop on other planets is mass. For example, if an organism from Earth were taken to Jupiter it would be crushed under its own weight due to the high gravity. The only type of life in the universe as we know it is carbon based life. There is the possibility of life based on other elements, but we have yet to discover it. In order for carbon based life to develop on an Earth-like planet, not only must there be liquid water and the right environmental conditions, but certain elements must also be present. The first and most obvious element that must be present is carbon, another would be nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur, and hydrogen. These six elements account for about 97% of mass in all carbon based life. In 1961 at University of California,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Christianity trends

    • 933 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Earth seems finely tuned so we can exist. It's the perfect distance from the sun for mild temperatures and liquid water, it has a protective giant, Jupiter, nearby to keep rogue asteroids from hitting us - all key requirements for intelligent life to evolve. But the Earth is not fine-tuned. The galaxy is teeming with at least 100 billion planets. By chance alone, there will be at least one fit for intelligent life. In a multiverse teeming with universes, there will be at least one that's suited to us.…

    • 933 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    References: Berardelli, Phil. (2010). Astronomers Find Most Earth-like Planet to Date. Retrieved on October 8, 2010. http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/09/astronomers-find-most-earth-like.html…

    • 686 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    • carbon, the fundamental constituent of the molecules necessary for life, and silicon, which forms the basis of the geologic world…

    • 3348 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Given the way life is so tenacious, adaptive, and varied here on Earth -- almost as if it has a mind of its own -- I wouldn 't be surprised that we find life is abundant throughout the universe. And that life does have a mind of its own . . . a mind hinted at by the mystical aspects of quantum physics . . . a mind that is part and parcel of the material universe . . . a mind that is as close as you can get to God.…

    • 322 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This is not evident that there exists a planet as same as earth in interstellar space on which life form can exist. But there are some compelling reasons to believe in the life forms in outer space. There are many discoveries on the basis of which scientists assume on life forms on other planets. Many life forms have developed so that that they can survive in heat, cold, poisonous chemicals or even in vacuum, and are known as Extremophiles like tardigrades. In other words, we know life can survive in conditions we've seen on other planets and moons. We just haven't found it yet.…

    • 284 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Life on Earth.

    • 4147 Words
    • 17 Pages

    * The elements needed to create these organic compounds were already present in the atmosphere in early Earth.…

    • 4147 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Earth is the only planet in the universe we know supports life and the life indigenous to Earth is the only life we know of in the universe. Although it is possible, and in fact likely when considering the size of the universe, that life exists in forms that we can not at this point conceive of, we are limited in this field by what we know for certain, and that is that all life we've studied is carbon based, evolved in an environment rich in oxygen, nitrogen hydrogen and carbon, and uses water as a solvent to facilitate biochemical reactions. Although alternative biochemistries are entirely possible, and life that is not biochemical but rather electrical or mineral may also be possible, if we open the door to these possibilities this report might never end. For the sake of brevity the information I present here will be based on the assumption that life that life is organic, carbon based, is dependent on some sort of energy source, either tidal, geothermal or solar and requires some sort of solvent, either water, liquid ammonia or liquid hydrocarbons.…

    • 2869 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The online article entitled “Finding Life Beyond Earth is Within Reach” from NASA points out that in this decade alone we have been finding more and more earth-like planets that could have life. However, we haven’t found life on any of these planets yet. We need to find more earth-like planets because if there is life on one of them, then we can know where their at. Astrophysicists will continue to look in the space to find more earth-like…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In fifth grade, everyone was required to write an essay on a topic that we had a vast knowledge of. Even though many students wrote about animals, sports, or nature, I chose to study exoplanets. Although the majority of fifth graders have no idea what an exoplanet is, I knew plenty by the end of the year. While I was reading articles and interviews about these curious little planets, I suddenly stopped and thought a moment. If all of these planets are uninhabitable, then that means our Earth quite unique. If Earth is so special, then why are we killing it?…

    • 244 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    A group of astronomers is suggesting that the planet called Kepler-62f may be habitable. The distant planet is approximately 1,200 light-years away from Earth towards the Lyra constellation. Kepler-62f is unique due to it being 40 percent larger than Earth. With that and it's planetary range, scientists believe it may possess oceans, and maybe even life. NASA discovered the planet back in 2013 but at the time, did not reveal any information about its atmosphere. Suddenly, they know that Kepler-62f ha a warm atmosphere. Warm enough to have surface water. If this is true, it's possible many other exoplanets surrounding Earth could bear these life-giving qualities.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    We have no direct evidence (yet) that there is life on other planets, moons, or in interstellar space. Nevertheless, there are some compelling reasons to believe that eventually we will discover some, perhaps even in our own solar system. Here are seven reasons why scientists believe that life is out there, just waiting to meet us. It might not be green-skinned ladies in silver saucers, but it will be alien.…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jupiter Moon Europa

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Modern day telescopes have detected Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby stars. An ancient Martian rock shows signs of life, and scientists wonder if Jupiter's moon Europa contains life in its oceans. The idea that there is even a tiny hint of life that we share the universe with, not just living beings, but capable, intelligent life much…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Earth as an ecosystem stands out in the all of the universe. There's no place that we know about that can support life as we know it, not even our sister planet, Mars, where we might set up housekeeping someday, but at great effort and trouble we have to recreate the things we take for granted here. Sylvia Earle believed that Mars could not support life but is there life? She said that no place that we know about can support life and that included Mars. A lot of people think the opposite and believe there is life on Mars but I do not.…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Alien Life Research Paper

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages

    is other life out there somewhere but till this day, nobody really knows the answer.…

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Colonization of Mars

    • 1154 Words
    • 5 Pages

    What does a planet need to have in order to support life? Earth is unique in our solar system because it is the only planet that is supporting life. Some scientists go so far as to say that the Earth is a “perfect planet” because it has features that are the perfect environment for living organisms; these features include our atmosphere, water, and a single moon. Earth is also in a place in our solar system where the Sun gives off the right amount of energy to drive the life. The distance from the Earth to the Sun determines how much of that heat we receive. If it weren’t for our ozone layer and Earth’s magnetic field, harmful rays would penetrate our surface and life would be exterminated. Everything the Earth has to offer us is balanced perfectly to keep life continuous.…

    • 1154 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays