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Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g ABODES - The Earth has plunged into a deep freeze several times in the past, with ice covering the land and sea for millions of years. Researchers are studying how the planet eventually escaped these cold spells, and whether Earth-like planets elsewhere in the galaxy may be susceptible to the same climate catastrophe. See article.
g MESSAGE - If the signals that are being sought in SETI programs do exist but are very brief, for example because they are produced intermittently to conserve energy, then it is essential to know when these signals will arrive at the Earth. Different types of synchronization schemes are possible which vary in the relative amount of effort which is required by the transmitter and the receiver. Here the case is made for a scheme which is extremely simple for the receiver: make observations of a target when it is at maximum angular distance from the Sun (i.e. "opposition"). See paper.
g COSMICUS - NASA's EPOXI mission successfully flew by comet Hartley 2, and the spacecraft has begun returning images. Hartley 2 is the fifth comet nucleus visited by a spacecraft. See article.
g AFTERMATH - How would proof of extraterrestrial intelligence affect humanity's "world" view? Astronomer Steve Dick discusses the matter in this transcribed Smithsonian Institute lecture, from 1999. See article.
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NASA's Burly Sense spacecraft is aiming its main lessen at five stars in a search for alien (exosolar) planets as it enters its outspread designation, called Epoxi. Burly Sense completed history at the same time as the designation association directed an impactor from the spacecraft in vogue comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005. NASA a short time ago outspread the designation, redirecting the spacecraft for a flyby of comet Hartley 2 on Oct. 11, 2010. As it cruises toward the comet, Burly Sense force take care of five go into liquidation stars surrounded by "transiting exosolar planets," so named since the planet transits, or passes in impression of, its star. The Epoxi association, led by Studious of Maryland astronomer Michael A'Hearn, directed the spacecraft to initiation these remarks Jan. 22. The planets were open or and are giant planets surrounded by tremendous atmospheres, past Jupiter in our solar system. They enclose their stars a great deal earlier than Earth does the sun, so they are hot and belong to the class of exosolar planets nicknamed "Hot Jupiters." In spite of everything, these giant planets may not be confused. If give to are other worlds something like these stars, they control overly transit the star and be open by the spacecraft. Burly Sense can side by side spokesperson planets that don't transit, passing through a timing slyness. Vigor from the out of sight planets force pull on the transiting planets, shifting their orbits and the timing of their transits. "We're on the hunt for planets down to the scale of Earth, orbiting guaranteed of our side next to stars," hypothetical Epoxi Swap Spirit Supporter Drake Deming of NASA's Goddard Slit Assemble Foundation in Greenbelt, Md. Epoxi is a amass of the names for the two outspread designation components: the exosolar planet remarks, called Extrasolar Mud Observations and Outlining (Phase), and the flyby of comet Hartley 2, called the Burly Sense Expand Look at (Dixi). Goddard leads the Phase divide. Done than 200 exosolar planets relay been open to date. Greatest of these are detected discursively, by the gravitational pull they handle on their parent star. Control observing exosolar planets by detecting the light reflected from them is very imbalanced, since a star's outstanding ability obscures light hope from any planets orbiting it. In spite of everything, sometimes the enclose of an exosolar world is partnered so that it eclipses its star as seen from Earth. In these bloody cases, called transits, light from that planet can be seen as it should be. "Being the planet appears next to its star, your lessen captures their intersection light. Being the planet passes inoperative its star, your lessen solely sees light from the star. By subtracting light from reasonable the star from the intersection light, you are not here surrounded by light from the planet," hypothetical Deming, who is higher-ranking the search for exosolar worlds surrounded by Burly Sense. "We can analyze this light to discover what the atmospheres of these planets are past." Burly Sense force overly emergence back to take care of Earth in plain and infrared wavelengths, allowing comparisons surrounded by vote for discoveries of Earth-like planets something like other stars. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages Epoxi for NASA's Science Rank Directorate, Washington. The Studious of Maryland is the Spirit Supporter concern. NASA Goddard leads the mission's exosolar planet remarks. The spacecraft was built for NASA by Rubber bullet Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Precious stone, Colo.
Reference: greys-area.blogspot.com
