Life on Other Planets
Life on Other Planets
Life on other planets, Is there another titan planet out there that harbors life? Scientist have found two such planets in a neighboring but distant Solar System. Which planets are habitable and is there already life there or basically in general, “Is there life in outer space?” That is the question and debate among astrologists and scientist alike about this discovery of two planets that orbit the red dwarf star of Gliese 581 (Gliese 581c.eu).
The fascination of intelligent life other than us has led to many studies and theories. With recent discoveries about the universe and the finding of Gliese 581, the idea of intelligent life has become even more intriguing. The implications of proving life exists on other planets and communicating with them could have an enormous impact to our society. The following discusses the possibilities of life on other planets by studying what sustains life on planet Earth, possible life within our Solar System, the discovery and study of other life bearing planets, examines what criteria may sustain life in other stars systems, and current programs studying extraterrestrial life (Koch and Borucki, 1996).
Recent technological advancements have confirmed the existence of relatively large planets around other stars. Earth-like planets orbiting other stars have yet to be discovered, but most astronomers believe one will be found. In order for a star to maintain a potentially life-giving planet within its orbit certain criteria would have to be established and maintained. Stars have been classified by The Harvard one-dimensional temperature classification scheme (based on hydrogen Ballmer line strengths) was developed in Harvard College Observatory in 1912 by Annie Jump Cannon and Edward C. Pickering (Koch and Borucki, 1996). This classification is ordered from hottest to coldest, comparing mass, radius and luminosity to our Sun. Stars are catalogued by the letters O, B, A, F, G, K, and M. These
Life on other planets, Is there another titan planet out there that harbors life? Scientist have found two such planets in a neighboring but distant Solar System. Which planets are habitable and is there already life there or basically in general, “Is there life in outer space?” That is the question and debate among astrologists and scientist alike about this discovery of two planets that orbit the red dwarf star of Gliese 581 (Gliese 581c.eu).
The fascination of intelligent life other than us has led to many studies and theories. With recent discoveries about the universe and the finding of Gliese 581, the idea of intelligent life has become even more intriguing. The implications of proving life exists on other planets and communicating with them could have an enormous impact to our society. The following discusses the possibilities of life on other planets by studying what sustains life on planet Earth, possible life within our Solar System, the discovery and study of other life bearing planets, examines what criteria may sustain life in other stars systems, and current programs studying extraterrestrial life (Koch and Borucki, 1996).
Recent technological advancements have confirmed the existence of relatively large planets around other stars. Earth-like planets orbiting other stars have yet to be discovered, but most astronomers believe one will be found. In order for a star to maintain a potentially life-giving planet within its orbit certain criteria would have to be established and maintained. Stars have been classified by The Harvard one-dimensional temperature classification scheme (based on hydrogen Ballmer line strengths) was developed in Harvard College Observatory in 1912 by Annie Jump Cannon and Edward C. Pickering (Koch and Borucki, 1996). This classification is ordered from hottest to coldest, comparing mass, radius and luminosity to our Sun. Stars are catalogued by the letters O, B, A, F, G, K, and M. These
References: Atkinson, Nancey, 2010. Could Chance for Life on Gliese 581g Actually Be “100%”? Retrieved on 1 April 2011 from Http://www.universetoday.com/74679/could-chance-for-life-on-gliese-581g-actually-be-100/ Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, & Voit Choi, C.Q., 2011. Titan-like Exoplanets. Astrobiology Magazine, Moffit Field, California (SPX) 4/15/2011 Erickson, M Genta, G. and Rycroft, M., 2003. Space the Final Frontierhttp://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003sff Gliese 581c.eu History of SETI. (2011). Retrieved April 18, 2011, from http://www.seti.org/site/pp.asp?c=ktJ2J9MMIsE&b=179069 Kasting, Whitmire, and Reynolds, 1993