Sonntag, 26. Februar 2012

Planets ahoi!

Out of the most recent planetary search and research reports – resulting from the Kepler outer space observatory data – are emerging quite exciting findings.

The first indications are that we are going to find quite a lot of planets in every possible star system (binary, etc..) out there. This is, of course, what we’ve hoped to find but what hasn’t been confirmed til now.

What is a surprise is that there may be 10x as many planets between the stars as in orbit around the stars! Statistically speaking this may seem to be a lot. For there would then be around 90 planets (at least as large as Pluto) between our solar system (let’s call it "Solaria" for simplicities sake) and halfway to the closest stars, meaning within a radius of ca. 2.5 light years from us. There might also be a brown dwarf (failed star) or two (or at least a couple of super Jupiters), probably with their own planets, which haven’t been discovered either, dethroning Alpha Centauri as the closest stellar object.

Like I said, it might seem like an enormous amount of spherical potential out there.

Now for the sobriety: Just think of using one of these planets on the way to Bernhard’s Star or to Alpha Centauri. What are the actual chances that there be anything useful somewhere between here and there?

Well, not much higher than 0%.

But even if one of those objects is useful – a superearth with an icy surface e.g. – it could mean a lot for interstellar space exploration as a relay station or as a permanent base. Only, we have to find it first, which will certainly prove to be like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack.

The second quite positive piece of news is the discovery of a particular planet, a super earth mostly made of water: GJ1214b. In itself great news, but even better is that it’s only 40 light years away: Exploration is possible!

Which brings us back to colonizing planets. Moon? Mars? Venus? What's next?

Let’s start with the Uninhabitable here on Earth first.

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