Planets Like Earth - Life on Verge of Discovery - Exoplanets Are Hot!
It's getting scary out there, as in more exciting than you've ever heard before: Astronomers say Earth-like planets are almost certain to be discovered very soon, and that we're literally on the verge of doing so, well, within our lifetimes.
A head NASA official and other leading scientists believe that we will know if we are alone in the Universe or not within just 4-5 years.
In this time frame, they will likely discover another Earth-like planet orbiting another star, one in which life could exist, or may already exist.
The stuff of hopes, dreams and the human culture since the beginning of Man is about to be "un-Earthed!" Astronomers also believe that the discovery of a planet similar in size to Earth may even be found sometime this year because of new hints they are receiving from a new space telescope.
At the yearly American Astronomical Society conference recently, every discovery involving so-called "exoplanets," that is, those outside our solar system, pointed to the same conclusion: Quiet planets like Earth almost certainly exist amid a violent ball of explosive galactic action.
And, they are most likely plentiful.
Evidence also provides for the very real possibility that life could develop, or may have already developed.
Have mercy! As amazing as the Hubble telescope is, the one that's causing all the excitement regarding exoplanets is NASA's new Kepler telescope, providing a treasure trove of new research in this hot new astronomical field of study.
The buzz is that we're in "an incredible special place in history," ever closer to answering a question that has puzzled humanity since the beginning of civilization: are we alone? Now there is plenty of optimism that during our lifetimes, we are going to find out.
As Simon "Pete" Worden, an astronomer who heads NASA's Ames Research Center says: "If I were a betting man, which I am, I would bet we're not alone.
There is a lot of life.
" Even the Roman Catholic Church is very interested in the entire realm of "other-planets, other-life" possibilities.
And, they actually have a Vatican Observatory which studies the prospects of extraterrestrial life.
Pete Worden's Ames Research Center runs the new Kepler telescope which is currently counting planets in our Galaxy.
Obviously, it can only examine a small portion at a time.
Unlike the Hubble, which is a general instrument, Kepler is a specialized telescope solely for hunting planets.
Its only instrument is a light meter that measures the brightness of more than 100,000 stars simultaneously, looking for hints of dimming from any star it tracks.
Dimming is strong evidence that a planet could be passing in front of a star.
This incredibly mind-bending information is difficult for the human mind to comprehend.
That we could have suddenly arrived here after all this time is simply astounding.
But, it's not rocket science.
It's well beyond that!
A head NASA official and other leading scientists believe that we will know if we are alone in the Universe or not within just 4-5 years.
In this time frame, they will likely discover another Earth-like planet orbiting another star, one in which life could exist, or may already exist.
The stuff of hopes, dreams and the human culture since the beginning of Man is about to be "un-Earthed!" Astronomers also believe that the discovery of a planet similar in size to Earth may even be found sometime this year because of new hints they are receiving from a new space telescope.
At the yearly American Astronomical Society conference recently, every discovery involving so-called "exoplanets," that is, those outside our solar system, pointed to the same conclusion: Quiet planets like Earth almost certainly exist amid a violent ball of explosive galactic action.
And, they are most likely plentiful.
Evidence also provides for the very real possibility that life could develop, or may have already developed.
Have mercy! As amazing as the Hubble telescope is, the one that's causing all the excitement regarding exoplanets is NASA's new Kepler telescope, providing a treasure trove of new research in this hot new astronomical field of study.
The buzz is that we're in "an incredible special place in history," ever closer to answering a question that has puzzled humanity since the beginning of civilization: are we alone? Now there is plenty of optimism that during our lifetimes, we are going to find out.
As Simon "Pete" Worden, an astronomer who heads NASA's Ames Research Center says: "If I were a betting man, which I am, I would bet we're not alone.
There is a lot of life.
" Even the Roman Catholic Church is very interested in the entire realm of "other-planets, other-life" possibilities.
And, they actually have a Vatican Observatory which studies the prospects of extraterrestrial life.
Pete Worden's Ames Research Center runs the new Kepler telescope which is currently counting planets in our Galaxy.
Obviously, it can only examine a small portion at a time.
Unlike the Hubble, which is a general instrument, Kepler is a specialized telescope solely for hunting planets.
Its only instrument is a light meter that measures the brightness of more than 100,000 stars simultaneously, looking for hints of dimming from any star it tracks.
Dimming is strong evidence that a planet could be passing in front of a star.
This incredibly mind-bending information is difficult for the human mind to comprehend.
That we could have suddenly arrived here after all this time is simply astounding.
But, it's not rocket science.
It's well beyond that!
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