More Potential Life Supporting Planets

SGOS · November 05, 2013, 10:46:55 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-spacecraft-f ... 54247.html

QuoteThe search for other Earth-like planets in the galaxy got a major boost today (Nov. 4) with the discovery of hundreds of newfound alien planets identified by NASA's Kepler spacecraft, a haul that includes 104 strange, new worlds that could potentially support life.

Scientists with NASA's planet-hunting Kepler mission announced the discovery of 833 new planet candidates during a press conference today, bringing the total number of candidate worlds to 3,538. Of the 104 planets in the habitable zone, 10 of them are about the size of Earth...

It's news but hardly shocking. Well, maybe a little. I didn't expect us to locate that many in my lifetime. But I certainly expected many such planets. My assumption about a vast universe has always been that more life is out there. The universe is big, and there's lots of stuff in it. Yeah, OK, I win the understatement of the year award on that one. But finding that many potentials in such a paltry amount of the total space does surprise me a little.

GrinningYMIR · November 05, 2013, 11:02:12 AM

My favorite quote about space is from Contact

"If it's just us out here, it's an awful big waste of space"

AllPurposeAtheist · November 05, 2013, 02:19:12 PM

Someone I knew once said it's like being the last man alive surrounded by billions of sexy, horny women, but unfortunate for the poor guy his penis fell off..

SGOS · November 05, 2013, 02:19:50 PM

Quote from: "drunkenshoe"
Quote from: "GrinningYMIR"My favorite quote about space is from Contact

"If it's just us out here, it's an awful big waste of space"

Mine too. When I saw your post, couldn't help but looked it up. (I heard the actor's voice that played her father in my ears. :shock: )
"...If it is just us, seems like an awful waste of space." :-D
Thanks for reminding.

There was a laid back quality to his observation that I remember. His voice was soothing.

However, the comment did not strike me as profound. My reaction was more like, "Well, Duh!?"

Jason78 · November 05, 2013, 02:40:49 PM

What about all those stars out there that are in the wrong inclination for us to see their planets? There's probably a buttload of earth like planets out there.

josephpalazzo · November 05, 2013, 04:43:07 PM

I'm wondering what Christians think about those inhabitable planets? Do they believe that on each of those planets, God created an Adam and Eve? That on some planets, they didn't sin and are living happily for eternity, while on other planets, they did sin, and God sent another Jesus to save them? So many questions, so little time... :P

AllPurposeAtheist · November 05, 2013, 05:51:16 PM

H

Quote from: "josephpalazzo"I'm wondering what Christians think about those inhabitable planets? Do they believe that on each of those planets, God created an Adam and Eve? That on some planets, they didn't sin and are living happily for eternity, while on other planets, they did sin, and God sent another Jesus to save them? So many questions, so little time... :P

No, sorry. There's not so much as a nanomicrobe anywhere because we're all special little baby jesus's alllll alone. It's a liberal Satanic plot to lull us into the day when aliens take over the NWO..

Sulaco · November 05, 2013, 06:55:10 PM

Quote from: "josephpalazzo"I'm wondering what Christians think about those inhabitable planets? Do they believe that on each of those planets, God created an Adam and Eve? That on some planets, they didn't sin and are living happily for eternity, while on other planets, they did sin, and God sent another Jesus to save them? So many questions, so little time... :P

When I was a christian I didn't believe that life existed anywhere else .. that Earth was the one in the universe that god created life upon. Almost everyone else I knew in the church thought the same way.

So I suspect that most religious people would also think that .. except the scientologists lol

FrogMan · November 05, 2013, 08:26:32 PM

This excites me because, more than anything, I think the discovery of "similar" planets/life as ours is the ultimate "checkmate" moment for religion's demise. If sometime in the next 100-500 years we discover the existence of aliens similar to us, the whole Bible story will collapse on itself worse than it already has. Did God really FORGET to talk about the other people in other galaxies? How will any Christian (or Muslim for that matter) be able to explain that massive omission?

Then again, the Bible has talking snakes and people living in whales and shit, and that hasn't stopped people from believing it's flawless. So, fuck it.

Atheon · November 05, 2013, 09:45:04 PM

News like this always makes me think of the Drake Equation. Another more refined parameter for a better estimate.

Quote from: "josephpalazzo"I'm wondering what Christians think about those inhabitable planets? Do they believe that on each of those planets, God created an Adam and Eve? That on some planets, they didn't sin and are living happily for eternity, while on other planets, they did sin, and God sent another Jesus to save them? So many questions, so little time... :P

They'll think: "We gotta bring the Good News of JEEEEEZUS to them!!"

Solitary · November 05, 2013, 09:50:41 PM

I too wonder what Christian would say if intelligent life was found on another planet. "We really are the sinners because of Eve, the bitch." :shock:

Solitary

Hijiri Byakuren · November 05, 2013, 10:01:04 PM

Quote from: "FrogMan"This excites me because, more than anything, I think the discovery of "similar" planets/life as ours is the ultimate "checkmate" moment for religion's demise.

Never underestimate the ability of religion to twist facts and remain "true."

josephpalazzo · November 06, 2013, 08:39:03 AM

Would there be a chosen people on those planets, or did God really have a special and unique soft spot for our Israeli friends?

:-k

robandrob1 · November 06, 2013, 10:05:07 AM

Interesting, but if it's confirmed that habitable planets are as common as some astronomers theorize then that might indicate that the solution to the Fermi Paradox is decidedly sinister.

SGOS · November 06, 2013, 12:28:27 PM

Quote from: "robandrob1"Interesting, but if it's confirmed that habitable planets are as common as some astronomers theorize then that might indicate that the solution to the Fermi Paradox is decidedly sinister.

There's a lot of speculation in Fermi's paradox, as well as speculation in Drake's equation that it contradicts.

I offer a third suggestion based on similar speculation. If intelligent alien life exists, even in great numbers of planets, the universe is too vast and empty for such life to become known to Earth. There may be contact between some planets, but the vast majority of planets with intelligent life will remain unknown to each other.

Any contact with our quadrant of the galaxy would have had to be made while man happens to be here. Comparing the existence of the universe to a 24 hour day, that's like probing our area for 3 seconds before midnight and expecting us to be developed enough to know how to respond. That is assuming the probe even passed inside our solar system, which would be unlikely even if large numbers of civilizations were devoted to nothing else but probing the universe.

And most of those planets should have sent out those probes billions of years ago to make their arrival concurrent with mankind's brief geological nanosecond of existence. Earlier attempts than that would not be possible because the universe was not even in existence.

So there! What does Enrico have to say about that? I doubt he'll bother to respond. :-D

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More Potential Life Supporting Planets