Comments on: Hubble smelt who dealt it

By: Tom Marking

Tom Marking — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:00:55 +0000

Here is an article written 28 years ago concerning the detection of an alien biosphere remotely. Even though this is almost three decades ago I’m sure the basic idea hasn’t changed that much in the intervening years – namely, that life causes a chemical disequilibrium in the planetary atmosphere which may be detected remotely.

http://www.bigear.org/CSMO/HTML/CS08/cs08p02.htm

By: Michael Lonergan

Michael Lonergan — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:26:19 +0000

dWhisper:
Not necessarily. I do believe it supports my theory stated above, that there must be an extraordinary population of bovines on most planets. What really gives my theory credibility is the fact that cows are frequently mutilated or abducted by aliens, which are probably a highly evolved species of intelligent bovine. How else could they build and pilot their UFO’s across the vast reaches of space to earth?

By: dWhisper

dWhisper — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:40:20 +0000

Do does the presence of methane support theories that these planets started farther out and came up close to hug their stars? Otherwise I thought it was rarer the closer you got in (being rather abundant in our outer systems, and on earth created through different processes).

By: Michael Lonergan

Michael Lonergan — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:09:34 +0000

Lugosi:
You’re “milking” this for all it’s worth.

By: KC

KC — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:41:50 +0000

When the first exoplanet was discovered by a star’s “wobble,” I thought that was truly amazing. Now astronomers are able to pick out molecules in the atmospheres of exoplanets when it happens to pass between us and it’s star. In my lifetime we’ve gone from speculating about exoplanets to detecting them to picking out details about their atmospheres. What was once the stuff of Science Fiction is now in the realm of Science Fact. Truly amazing.

Now, if we can just detect a planet around Alpha Centauri . . .

By: Jayson

Jayson — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:34:38 +0000

Sounds like we found planet Terserus, from the Rowan Adkinson Doctor Who spoof. “Planet of the Bottom Burpers.”

Doctor: “They could communicate only through precicely modulated gastric emissions.”

Companion: “What happened to them?”

Doctor: “They discovered fire.”

Seriously, though, every time I learn about new planet discoveries, I just can’t stop reading. It’s so cool!

By: Jonas

Jonas — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:30:12 +0000

“the tops of the clouds are at about 1700 degrees Fahrenheit”

Since when does astronomers use Fahrenheit?

By: Dave Hall

Dave Hall — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 06:57:45 +0000

Just what we need–a planet with an excess of dietary fiber.

By: themadlolscientist

themadlolscientist — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:31:36 +0000

“Jupiter and Saturn stink because they are made of poop!” ROFL

By: blitzio

blitzio — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:47:44 +0000

The Smelloscope works!

By: Lugosi

Lugosi — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:09:42 +0000

“This proves my theory that cows are the most populous life-form in the Universe.”
Don’t take this the wrong way, Michael, but that statement is “udderly” ridiculous.

By: Michael Lonergan

Michael Lonergan — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:57:26 +0000

This proves my theory that cows are the most populous life-form in the Universe.

(Methane=cowfarts)

Actually, this is exciting. How long will it be before we can detect Earth-size planets? Also, when we are able to detect them, will we then pursue SETI on a more vigorous scale.

This is slightly off topic, but I read an interesting article somewhere recently that addressed the question of the silence from the stars in relation to SETI. The author made an interesting point that basically stated the more technologically advanced we become, the quieter we become. Instead of signals “Leaking” into outer space, they are now more contained through fibre-optic networks and the internet. It was a little more in-depth than that, but I thought it was very thought provoking.

In essence, what he was saying is that we should not expect to hear from advanced civilizations, unless they want us to, because they have gone quiet.

Now, if we could just find a way to stop them from coming into my room late at night and taking me away… )

By: decius

decius — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:35:25 +0000

EDIT

I meant to write brown dwarves, not red.

By: decius

decius — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:25:11 +0000

How can it be affirmed with certainty that the water observed in the red dwarves spectra is in fact part of the objects atmosphere and not, for instance, orbiting them or otherwise placed between them and the observer?

Isn’t it quite odd that a stellar object, albeit a rather cool one, would contain water?

By: Radwaste

Radwaste — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:10:40 +0000

Say, Dr. Phil – what kind of forces conspire to keep methane, or any other gas, present on any body orbiting so close to its star? You mentioned a temperature twice that of Venus, and I like to think Mars had a bit more atmosphere before a couple of hard impacts tore it up; the Moon trails sodium atoms…

So what does it take to blow off an atmosphere?

By: Kullat Nunu

Kullat Nunu — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:59:34 +0000

Strictly OT: A possible naked eye gamma-ray burst detected. If you were last night on a very dark location and watched towards the right spot in the sky, you could have seen light from billions of light years away, unaided!

By: billg

billg — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:41:30 +0000

How do we know the place isn’t crawling with billions of heat-resistant cows?

But, seriously, here’s a question:

At our current level of technology, are we able to detect anything that uniquely indicates the presence of at least equivalent technology on one of these planets? Could they detect us?

By: Kevin F.

Kevin F. — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:33:22 +0000

I agree on the Methane isn’t surprising front. When I saw that I thought “Wow! They’ll be finding Hydrogen in space next!!!”

By: BoC

BoC — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:57:48 +0000

Prof. Farnsworth would be proud.

By: veritas36

veritas36 — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:41:54 +0000

I can’t resist either –
my 2 1/2 year old grandson named all the planets accurately and then explained, “Jupiter and Saturn stink because they are made of poop!”

By: Dennis

Dennis — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:15:00 +0000

Best title of a post ever!

By: Joe Meils

Joe Meils — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:53:31 +0000

We can now detect farts at the distance of several hundred light years…

Does this mean that this particular extra solar planet has Taco Bells?

Seriously, it’s amazing to me that so much can be gleaned from what little we have to work with.

By: MandyDax

MandyDax — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:47:14 +0000

That is just amazing. Gotta love spectroscopic analysis, ya?

Jack: What’s that smell?
Cotton’s Parrot: Mercaptan, my captain!
*hides*