Finding Earth's Twin: No Easy Task

Astrobiology Magazine ^ | 03/02/10 | Henry Bortman

[KevinDavis]

Does our galaxy contain twins of Earth: rocky planets, orbiting sun-like stars at comfortable distances, capable of supporting life? That is the million-dollar question for exoplanet hunters. NASA is about to launch an orbiting telescope designed to find an answer. Its name is Kepler.

Kepler, scheduled for launch on March 6, 2009, will observe a field of 100,000 stars in the Cygnus-Lyra region of the sky, searching for planets by looking for their transits. A transit occurs when a planet passes in front of the star it orbits, causing the star’s brightness to dim temporarily. The amount of dimming that occurs indicates the planet’s size; the bigger the planet, the more starlight is blocked. The frequency of the transits reveals the planet’s orbital period and distance from its star; closer-in planets have shorter-period orbits, so transits occur more frequently.

[KevinDavis]

For other space news go to: http://www.spacetoday.net
For a list of Private Space Companies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_private_spaceflight_companies

[TheZMan]

Uh...
Alien Life
Posted: 03/02/09
Author: Henry Bortman

[GeronL]

I think there are Earth-like worlds out there. We just have to find them and move there.

[KevinDavis]

Same here.. I think 2020 we will find one.. Alpha Centauri.

[GeronL]

Possibly. It is a “medium” yellow star isn’t it?

[isom35]

I think Roy Thinnes could help here...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064519/

[KevinDavis]

It is a copy of our sun..

[GeronL]

That would be the logical place to look first. I suppose its too late to change course of the Voyagers?

[GeronL]

Alien View of Earth.... from a Voyager.

Almost 4 billion miles away.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123614938&ft=1&f=1001

[GeronL]

[southernnorthcarolina]

If I recall correctly, Saturday night Live's Father Guido Sarducci

maintained that Earth has a twin, in Earth's orbit on the exact opposite side of the Sun, and therefore invisible from Earth. The planet is identical to Earth in every respect, including doubles of each human. The sole difference, according to Fr. Sarducci, is that inhabitants of the other planet hold their corncobs vertically when eating corn from the cob.

I have always been skeptical of this theory, but that's just me.

[LiberConservative]

PLEASE GOD NOOOOOOOO!!! Earth’s “twin” will harbor Democrats. NOOOooooo!!

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from March 2, 2010. Thanks KevinDavis.

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[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from March 2, 2010. Thanks KevinDavis.

· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe ·

Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar ·

[bigheadfred]

I think there are Earth-like worlds out there. We just have to find them and move there.

A bunch of us went up in the hills behind the old homestead hunting deer one year. My uncle drives us to the top of the mountain and points out a clearing a couple of miles down and says "I'll meet ya'll there."

Bear in mind there is no road to that clearing.

Anyways, we get down there and my uncle tells us "An interesting thing just happened. A guy came out of the trees a few minutes ago, looked around, and said 'Just when you think you've reached a place no one has ever been, there is some SOB in a pickup!'"