54 potential life-sustaining planets

[Trolldor]

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sc...ally-lifefriendly-planets-20110203-1aeaf.html

Excerpt:

An orbiting NASA telescope is finding whole new worlds of possibilities in the search for alien life, spotting more than 50 potential planets that appear to be in the habitable zone.

In just a year of peering out at a small slice of the galaxy, the Kepler telescope has discovered 1235 possible planets outside our solar system. Amazingly, 54 of them are seemingly in the zone that could be hospitable to life ? that is, not too hot or too cold, Kepler chief scientist William Borucki said.

Until now, only two planets outside our solar system were even thought to be in the "Goldilocks zone". And both those discoveries are highly disputed.

Fifty-four possibilities is "an enormous amount, an inconceivable amount", Borucki said. "It's amazing to see this huge number because up to now, we've had zero."

The more than 1200 newfound celestial bodies are not confirmed as planets yet, but Borucki estimates 80 per cent of them will eventually be verified. At least one other astronomer believes Kepler could be 90 per cent accurate.

After that, it's another big step in proving that a confirmed planet has some of the basic conditions needed to support life, such as the proper size, composition, temperature and distance from its star. More advanced aspects of habitability such as atmospheric conditions and the presence of water and carbon require telescopes that aren't built yet.

Just because a planet is in the habitable zone doesn't mean it has life. Mars is a good example of that. And even if some these planets are found to contain life, it may not be intelligent life; it could be bacteria or mold or some kind of life form people can't even imagine.

All the celestial bodies Kepler looks at are in our Milky Way galaxy, but they are so far away that traveling there is not a realistic option. In some cases it would take many millions of years with current technology.

But what Kepler is finding in distant parts of the galaxy could be applied to exploring closer stars, astronomers say.

"Our grandchildren will have to decide what's the next step," Borucki said at a NASA news conference. "Do they want to go there? Do they want to send a robot?"

Makes me all tingly inside. 54 possible planets.
Now I just want to see how many are confirmed.
Even just 1 confirmed will be fantastic.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Distance from sun: Check.
Atmosphere: ?
Magnetic Fields: ?
Shielded from astral projectiles: ?
Presence of elements required for life: ?
Proper gravity for sustaining life: ?

I'd be surprised if even one had all the requirements for sustaining life.

 

[Uber Evil]

Distance from sun: Check.
Atmosphere: ?
Magnetic Fields: ?
Shielded from astral projectiles: ?
Presence of elements required for life: ?
Proper gravity for sustaining life: ?

I'd be surprised if even one had all the requirements for sustaining life.

The bolded ones seem like they could vary, like some species could develop to withstand a higher gravity or survive off different elements, like say a species that thrives off sulfuric acid, and why a magnetic field?

 

[Astoria]

Distance from sun: Check.
Atmosphere: ?
Magnetic Fields: ?
Shielded from astral projectiles: ?
Presence of elements required for life: ?
Proper gravity for sustaining life: ?

I'd be surprised if even one had all the requirements for sustaining life.

Yeah, just because the temperature is right doesn't mean everything else is. Our Earth is really delicate and all it takes is one little thing to change and we're screwed. Probably only one or two max of these planets will actually be able to sustain life and even then there's no guarantee that they will. Even if they did, we aren't getting there any time soon. All this is really cool but in reality it's kinda useless information.

 

[Valate_v1legacy]

Distance from sun: Check.
Atmosphere: ?
Magnetic Fields: ?
Shielded from astral projectiles: ?
Presence of elements required for life: ?
Proper gravity for sustaining life: ?

I'd be surprised if even one had all the requirements for sustaining life.

You do know that assuming we could even get to Alpha Centauri and back in a reasonable amount of time, all of those problems could be solved by terraforming?

And of the 2 planets in the zone in our solar system, both have at least supported life shortly.

At least the carbon-based planetary zone, that is.

 

[Pandaman1911]

Distance from sun: Check.
Atmosphere: ?
Magnetic Fields: ?
Shielded from astral projectiles: ?
Presence of elements required for life: ?
Proper gravity for sustaining life: ?

I'd be surprised if even one had all the requirements for sustaining life.

This is the most depressing thing I've heard all day, and you're absolutely right. What if there IS no other life? What if, despite all odds, we're it? We're all alone, in a universe of complete fucking lifelessness?

 

[bushwhacker2k]

Ah, yeah, my physics teacher mentioned this today. Sounds interesting.

 

[FlashHero]

Distance from sun: Check.
Atmosphere: ?
Magnetic Fields: ?
Shielded from astral projectiles: ?
Presence of elements required for life: ?
Proper gravity for sustaining life: ?

I'd be surprised if even one had all the requirements for sustaining life.

This is the most depressing thing I've heard all day, and you're absolutely right. What if there IS no other life? What if, despite all odds, we're it? We're all alone, in a universe of complete fucking lifelessness?

Don't get my hopes down..im hopeing we can all unite to kill aliens for being different one day .

 

[Trolldor]

Distance from sun: Check.
Atmosphere: ?
Magnetic Fields: ?
Shielded from astral projectiles: ?
Presence of elements required for life: ?
Proper gravity for sustaining life: ?

I'd be surprised if even one had all the requirements for sustaining life.

I'd be surprised to find that Earth is the only planet that sustains life, and that only the conditions that have played across Earth - all those extremes of tempretures, all the vast environmental changes, all the different forms of life we have discovered - are the single life-sustaining conditions.

 

[Custard_Angel]

Distance from sun: Check.
Atmosphere: ?
Magnetic Fields: ?
Shielded from astral projectiles: ?
Presence of elements required for life: ?
Proper gravity for sustaining life: ?

I'd be surprised if even one had all the requirements for sustaining life.

The bolded ones seem like they could vary, like some species could develop to withstand a higher gravity or survive off different elements, like say a species that thrives off sulfuric acid, and why a magnetic field?

Gravity, magnetic field etc. influence life on a molecular scale. By affecting the physical parameters that determine chemical interactions, the probability that life can be spontaneously generated as the result of a lucky dice roll in a game of quantum energies, is impossibly minimal. Whether you believe in evolution, creation or a little of both, it's ridiculous to call life on Earth anything other than a miracle. If any of the physical variables of the universe were difference, there would be no life here. Fact.

Also, while it has indeed been proven that life can exist beyond the usual oxygen/water "diet", sulphur eating "bacteria" really only exist as an evolutionary exploitation of a biological niche i.e. they didn't start eating sulphur, they were oxygen breathers that found a new way to live.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Wow... am i popular here.

Magnetic Fields: ?
Presence of elements required for life: ?

The bolded ones seem like they could vary, like some species could develop to withstand a higher gravity or survive off different elements, like say a species that thrives off sulfuric acid, and why a magnetic field?

Magnetic fields keep solar radiation from frying us.
Gravity can vary... but only slightly. Too high, and organic life cannot be created (Cellular life can be crushed). Too light, and the planet cannot sustain a proper atmosphere.
Life requires carbon. Silicon life is... troublesome, for varies reasons (Mostly because of its tendency to oxidize).

Yeah, just because the temperature is right doesn't mean everything else is. Our Earth is really delicate and all it takes is one little thing to change and we're screwed. Probably only one or two max of these planets will actually be able to sustain life and even then there's no guarantee that they will. Even if they did, we aren't getting there any time soon. All this is really cool but in reality it's kinda useless information.

You got it.

You do know that assuming we could even get to Alpha Centauri and back in a reasonable amount of time, all of those problems could be solved by terraforming?

And of the 2 planets in the zone in our solar system, both have at least supported life shortly.

At least the carbon-based planetary zone, that is.

True, but Mars didn't exactly last long, did it?

This is the most depressing thing I've heard all day, and you're absolutely right. What if there IS no other life? What if, despite all odds, we're it? We're all alone, in a universe of complete fucking lifelessness?

Sorry to depress you, guy.

I'd be surprised to find that Earth is the only planet that sustains life, and that only the conditions that have played across Earth - all those extremes of tempretures, all the vast environmental changes, all the different forms of life we have discovered - are the single life-sustaining conditions.

True, there probably are other planets out there that support life. But the chances of finding one in a group of 54? Laughable.

But to sustain life, you have to be like earth. At least for anything above the cellular level.

 

[Trolldor]

But to sustain life, you have to be like earth. At least for anything above the cellular level.

No, you don't. To support life as it is on Earth you need a planet like Earth. We don't know what the conditions for 'life' are.

 

[DefunctTheory]

But to sustain life, you have to be like earth. At least for anything above the cellular level.

No, you don't. To support life as it is on Earth you need a planet like Earth. We don't know what the conditions for 'life' are.

Name a conceivable organic life form that can be sustained in a non-Terra like environment that can be seen with the naked eye.

EDIT; Don't mean to be rude. But really, please. (I really don't mean to be mean).

 

[Trippy Turtle]

This is the most depressing thing I've heard all day, and you're absolutely right. What if there IS no other life? What if, despite all odds, we're it? We're all alone, in a universe of complete fucking lifelessness?

then we rule the universe..... galactic party woooooo!!!!! no pesky neighbors or that gang down the street. we can do anything we like without that annoying galaxy peace-keeping race that means we cant blow stuff up. that said.... i do want an alien friend.

 

[crudus]

If any of the physical variables of the universe were difference, there would be no life here. Fact.

But not nowhere.

The bolded ones seem like they could vary, like some species could develop to withstand a higher gravity or survive off different elements, like say a species that thrives off sulfuric acid, and why a magnetic field?

I think they are looking he means planets that can sustain human life. We need to go somewhere soon. Fifty-four is a good number. Out of all the planets so few are habitable for complex life. Now whether they are within a reasonable distance is another thing(they aren't).

 

[DefunctTheory]

This is the most depressing thing I've heard all day, and you're absolutely right. What if there IS no other life? What if, despite all odds, we're it? We're all alone, in a universe of complete fucking lifelessness?

then we rule the universe..... galactic party woooooo!!!!! no pesky neighbors or that gang down the street. we can do anything we like without that annoying galaxy peace-keeping race that means we cant blow stuff up. that said.... i do want an alien friend.

Shit, I forgot about this.

We need an Eldar equivalent species!

 

[Trolldor]

But to sustain life, you have to be like earth. At least for anything above the cellular level.

No, you don't. To support life as it is on Earth you need a planet like Earth. We don't know what the conditions for 'life' are.

Name a conceivable organic life form that can be sustained in a non-Terra like environment that can be seen with the naked eye.

EDIT; Don't mean to be rude. But really, please. (I really don't mean to be mean).

Carl Sagan's Bloaters, beings that could live in a Jupiter-like planet.

 

[Bohemian Waltz]

Distance from sun: Check.
Atmosphere: ?
Magnetic Fields: ?
Shielded from astral projectiles: ?
Presence of elements required for life: ?
Proper gravity for sustaining life: ?

I'd be surprised if even one had all the requirements for sustaining life.

You do know that assuming we could even get to Alpha Centauri and back in a reasonable amount of time, all of those problems could be solved by terraforming?

How would you terraform a magnetic field or proper gravity? Atmosphere and elements for life seem reasonable enough, but terraforming magnetic fields and gravity please explain because you might know something I don't.

 

[GiantRaven]

This is the most depressing thing I've heard all day, and you're absolutely right. What if there IS no other life? What if, despite all odds, we're it? We're all alone, in a universe of complete fucking lifelessness?

Alone? You think that several billion people on a planet can be amalgamated into one entity and considered alone?

I mean sure, it would suck if there was no other life out in the universe but to suggest that we are alone just sounds silly.