Credit: The Habitable Exoplanets Catalog, Planetary Habitability Laboratory @ UPR Arecibo (phl.upl.edu)
Posted on 12/17/2011 4:03:43 PM PST by SunkenCiv
As of right now, there are two confirmed planets and fourteen candidates listed, but those numbers are expected to grow over the coming months and years as more candidates are found and more of those candidates are confirmed. There is even a listing of habitable moons, whose existence have been inferred from the data, although none have been observed yet (finding exoplanets is challenging enough, but exomoons even more so!).
According to Abel Méndez, Director of the PHL and principal investigator, "One important outcome of these rankings is the ability to compare exoplanets from best to worst candidates for life." He adds: "New observations with ground and orbital observatories will discover thousands of exoplanets in the coming years. We expect that the analyses contained in our catalog will help to identify, organize, and compare the life potential of these discoveries."
The big question of course is whether any habitable planets are actually inhabited, two different things. To help answer that, it will be necessary to further analyze the atmospheres and surfaces of those planets, looking for any indication of possible biosignatures such as oxygen or methane. Kepler can't do that directly, but subsequent telescopes such as the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) will be able to, and provide a more accurate assessment of their physical composition, climate, etc.
Not long ago it wasn't known if there even were any planets orbiting other stars; now we're finding them by the thousands and soon we'll be able to distinguish their unique physical characteristics and have a better idea of how many habitable worlds are out there -- exciting times.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
Credit: The Habitable Exoplanets Catalog, Planetary Habitability Laboratory @ UPR Arecibo (phl.upl.edu)
An “extra, extra” ping to the APoD list members.
Numbers 5 and 8 resemble earth to me ( well, the picture of earth anyways). Very interesting stuff, SunkenCiv!
we have no idea what those worlds look like do we?
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Well yeah, those are artist’s representations based on pure conjecture. No one knows what these worlds actually look like.
Can exoplanets and exoplasm coexist?
:’) The appearance of these planets will be based on what can be learned of them at this distance, iow, the spectral absorption lines, distance from the parent star (and the type of star), and the diameter.
They have to get one of those “coexist” bumperstickers to make it work.
https://files.me.com/exploradores/5ntd7x
I will take #7 thank you. Wait. Do I have to convert to Mormonism first?
I would like a video walk-through of #1 before i plunk down a deposit.
I would make a bet the Earth is in some different databases of interesting planets that need to be visited when the technology is available.
I'd say what is mot important, is what the atmosphere is made of. Being in the right earth orbit zone is great, but you cannot breath methane.
There are some interesting propulsion technologies both on the drawing board and in various stages of testing and development.
VASIMIR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket) is interesting. It falls far short of anything that will be going to the closest star but could reduce travel time to mars to days rather than months. Its also slated for testing on the space station as a possible means of lifting the station into higher orbits.
Why are they all named after koi? :)
Thanks, but I’ll stay right here on Mars (high elevation, more than 50-degree F temp variation some days, dry, no trees, high winds, no people, etc.). ;-)
To the moon, Alice.
Dang. I was so hoping for the DB to be importable to Starry Night,
Stellarium, or the like, so I could try to find one with my 5" scope...
Cool post; as a sicence fiction writer, this is definitely somehting I can use. Thanks.
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