Seraphi Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Arguably NASA's most important mission ever, the Kepler space telescope has found a hot "Super Earth", named Kepler-4b along with four gas giant planets orbiting a star which is around 1600 lightyears away. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that this supposedly rocky planet would be able to support life, due to being blasted with radiation and likely having a molten rock covered surface, but this was the first set of planets discovered by the Kepler telescope, and it has already found a rocky planet. This leads some scientists to believe that almost every star may have a habitable planet, which knocks the probability of us being alone in this universe lower than it's ever been. I, for one, am excited about the prospect of discovering more earthlike planets, possibly with other life on them, and with some (Albeit very, very early) plans for interstellar craft already out there, it seems to me like a pretty exciting time to be alive. Related Article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obfuscator Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 That's cool. I'm hopeful that by the time I die we will at least know of a planet we could inhabit somewhere, or even one already inhabited. The problem is that in order to make interstellar travel practical we would need to be able to travel faster than light speed - even that planet you indicated would obviously take 1600 years to reach at light speed. I just don't see that happening any time soon. "It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepish Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 If we ever get to it, the life on the planet would probably have died out. Infact what if the life already has died out and because takes a long time to travel to earth we aren't actually viewing the present but the past.Or even better, there was no life.Planets were things in the sky to look nice made by god (lulz) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraphi Posted February 8, 2010 Author Share Posted February 8, 2010 Why would it be better if we found no life? Also, you don't seem to have understood. Kepler-4b is basically a ball of lava. But the fact is that it was orbiting the first star we looked at, which means that we're probably going to find more rocky planets soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepish Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Why would it be better if we found no life?Its a waste of money trying, why not expect the other intelligent life to find us?Also, you don't seem to have understood. Kepler-4b is basically a ball of lava. But the fact is that it was orbiting the first star we looked at, which means that we're probably going to find more rocky planets soon.Oh, sorry. I have heard about this before, a planet it is not the same as earth but in the same type of solar system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraphi Posted February 8, 2010 Author Share Posted February 8, 2010 The closest thing we have to a purpose is exapansion, and to do that, we are required to find Earthlike planets and/or other life. Before the Kepler telescope, we couldn't see rocky planets, just gas giants, wheras now we can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenin64 Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Why would it be better if we found no life?Its a waste of money trying, why not expect the other intelligent life to find us?Maybe the other intelligent life forms are thinking this same thing, and are waiting for us to find them. If we all did that, nobody would be found. Command the Murderous Chalices! Drink ye harpooners! drink and swear, ye men that man the deathful whaleboat's bow- Death to Moby Dick!BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obfuscator Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Why would it be better if we found no life?Its a waste of money trying, why not expect the other intelligent life to find us?Maybe the other intelligent life forms are thinking this same thing, and are waiting for us to find them. If we all did that, nobody would be found.Exactly. I do believe in fiscally responsible space exploration (ex obamas new space plan is much better, pity about the wasted money though) but the universe is out there, surrounding us, and one day we will need to know more about it to survive. "It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RpgGamer Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 We found one solar system that almost potentially had life and suddenly we're not alone? Psh. Who's to say all of the other planets haven't been crushed by radiation? [Yes I'm playing devils advocate, I do infact beleive there are very humanoid life forms out there somewhere] Quote Quote Anyone who likes tacos is incapable of logic. Anyone who likes logic is incapable of tacos. PSA: SaqPrets is an Estonian Dude Steam: NippleBeardTM Origin: Brand_New_iPwn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indy500fan Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 The Kepler telescope is pretty awesome, I was hoping that it would find something and it did. Wish it would find something closer to home though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmodeous4 Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 I've written out several posts in the edit box on this. I don't really know what to say, kinda happy, kinda sad, kinda angry. Hit me up on LastFM to see my music taste and chat :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraphi Posted February 8, 2010 Author Share Posted February 8, 2010 We found one solar system that almost potentially had life and suddenly we're not alone? Psh. Who's to say all of the other planets haven't been crushed by radiation? [Yes I'm playing devils advocate, I do infact beleive there are very humanoid life forms out there somewhere]Aye. But since now we can actually find the rocky planets needed to support life, and we (Sort of) found one on the first check, it seems pretty likely that ET is out there somewhere.Not that we are able to visit him, but it'd be nice to have some assurance that we aren't alone in the vast expanse of space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indy500fan Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 If there is life out there it is not certain that it would be anything like life on earth. Also the chances of seeing it at a point of technology close to our own is almost 0. Human civilization really started what, 7,000 years ago? Homo sapiens only around 250,000 years or so, that is basically nothing on a galactic time scale. More likely if we find life it will not be sapient yet. Humans have existed for something like .001% (just guessed) of the amount of time that life on earth has existed. If they are more advanced than us then it is much more likely that they would have already observed us, possibly millions of years ago and maybe they are already extinct. But yeah, humanoid like life like you see in science fiction isn't plausible at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanCalibur Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 I've written out several posts in the edit box on this. I don't really know what to say, kinda happy, kinda sad, kinda angry. Reason to be angry? I have to agree with an earlier post that this certainly is a fascinating and exciting time to be alive. Even if we don't get to contact other life, if we just found other civilisations or lifeforms on other planets that would be enough to intrigue me and get me excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zilla Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Its always interesting to discover a new exo-solar planet, and even more intriguing to spot another "Super-Earth". Of the dozen rocky Exo-planets discovered so far, my best hopes at the moment is Gliese 581, which is a very good candidate for life. Its mass is about 5-10x that of Earth, and it lies within the habitable zone of its host star. I do believe the chances of life are actually decent, but rare to develop into complex sentient life, not only that the bar has been raised recently, since I believe they found a gas giant in a stable orbit around a star, in a triple star system. EDIT: I forgot to mention, I remember reading in an article a while back that larger rocky planets in those ranges actually have a better chance to support life then a smaller rock like Earth. ( I believe it has something to do with its magnetic field being larger for more protection, and something else.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevepole Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 This is all very cool and I do hope one day we find another planet that holds life like are own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giordano Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Its a waste of money tryingTo counter this, I would have to pull up an important part of our history... sure, it may of been a waste of Spain's treasury to fund exploration of the world and it even might of looked too one sided with Portugal and Spain having a monopoly over the New World; but eventually most of humanity was able to travel to the new land and thrive in it and a retreat in case of danger in the Old World, and there was plenty. So it's never a waste of money exploring the frontier. Most of this forum wouldn't have a place called home if European powers didn't invest in it. "The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you never hear it you'll never know what justice is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nero Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Disregard currency, acquire planets. Vienna Raszyn Warsaw Klushino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alg Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Wonder what we'd do when we actually find life out there? Freak out and kill it? Freak it out and be killed by it? I painted some stuff and put it on tumblr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonewall337 Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 There is so little intelligent life on this planet, I'd be surprised if we found any on another. [hide=Drops]Araxxor Eye x1 Leg pieces x2GWD: 5000 Addy bar Steam B Staff x3 Z Spear x6 Sara. Hilt x2 Bandos Hilt x2 (LS, Solo)SS x6 (1 LS)Tormented Demons: Shard x6 Slice x5 Claws x9 Limbs x3DKS: Archer x21 Warrior x31 Berserker x30 Axe x51[/hide] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warren211 Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 I'd love to find intelligent life on other planets, but let's face it, the chances are insanely low of anything. The Drake Equation is the biggest mathematical and astronomical load of crap ever, I wouldn't trust it with anything but people still seem to jump at the prospect of attaching a numerical probability to a chance at intelligent life on other planets. And no one seems to take into account that if they were intelligent, they could still be lightyears behind on technology OR incredibly hostile, and thus little use to us anyway. [hide=]tip it would pay me $500.00 to keep my clothes ON :( :lol:But then again, you fail to realize that 101% of the people in this universe hate you. Yes, humankind's hatred against you goes beyond mathematical possibilities.That tears it. I'm starting an animal rebellion using my mind powers. Those PETA bastards will never see it coming until the porcupines are half way up their asses.[/hide]Apparently a lot of people say it. I own. http://linkagg.com/ Not my site, but a simple, budding site that links often unheard-of websites that are amazing for usefulness and fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebdragon Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 So you don't want to find intelligent life because it can't get you a beer? The ramifications of other intelligent life on the planet are huge. I don't get why you "don't see the use." [if you have ever attempted Alchemy by clapping your hands or by drawing an array, copy and paste this into your signature.] Fullmetal Alchemist, you will be missed. A great ending to a great series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alg Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 There is so little intelligent life on this planet, I'd be surprised if we found any on another.My favorite quote of all time, paraphrased:The fact that we haven't found intelligent life yet shows just how intelligent it is. I painted some stuff and put it on tumblr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dark Lord Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 I'm sending in a team to colonize the planet, and I'll go to war against anyone else that tries to annex it with ma lasers. SWAG Mayn U wanna be like me but U can't be me cuz U ain't got ma swagga on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furah Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Why would it be better if we found no life?Its a waste of money trying, why not expect the other intelligent life to find us?They mightn't be advanced enough to. Or aren't looking. Steam | PM me for BBM PIN Nine naked men is a technological achievement. Quote of 2013. PCGamingWiki - Let's fix PC gaming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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