Chupacabra Digest

Strange lights on dwarf planet Ceres have scientists perplexed

A dwarf planet is shining two bright lights at a NASA spacecraft right now, and our smartest scientists are unsure what they are.

As bizarre as that sentence sounds, that's the situation with Ceres - the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, officially designated as a dwarf planet (the same category as Pluto).

NASA's Dawn spacecraft is approaching Ceres ahead of a March 6 rendezvous. The picture above was taken February 19, from a distance of just under 29,000 miles, and shows two very shiny areas on the same basin on Ceres' surface.

Previous Dawn images from further away showed a single light on Ceres, which was just as mysterious. Then, to the amazement of every astronomy geek, the one light turned out to be two - reflecting roughly 40% of the light hitting them.

...

So what could the bright spots be, other than alien castaways signaling at us with flashlights?

The most obvious contender is ice, although ice would reflect more than 40% of all light hitting it. The difference may be accounted for by the resolution limit of Dawn's camera at this distance. Scientists have previously detected water vapor coming from the surface of the dwarf planet, making ice - a more likely option.

Scientists have also suggested the bright areas could be patches of salt. On the other hand, the location of the two bright spots so close together may be an indication that they have a geologic origin, such as some sort of volcanic process, possibly even ice volcanoes.So the aliens on Ceres had a snow storm, and put road salt on it?

Source: outer-space-guests.blogspot.com

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"Super-Earths are Likely to Have Oceans and Continents"Posted: 09 Jan 2014 08:32 AM PST

"Are the surfaces of super-Earths totally dry or covered in water?" said Nicolas B. Cowan, a Northwestern University astrophysicist at the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA). "We tackled this question by applying known geophysics to astronomy." Massiveterrestrial planets, called "super-Earths," are known to be common in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Now Cowen and a University of Chicago geophysicist report the odds of these planets having an Earth-like climate are much greater than previously thought.Cowan and Dorian Abbot's new model challenges the conventional wisdom which says super-Earths actually would be very unlike Earth -- each would be a waterworld, with its surface completely covered in water. They conclude that most tectonically active super-Earths -- regardless of mass -- store most of their water in the mantle and will have both oceans and exposed continents, enabling a stable climate such as Earth's."Super-Earths are expected to have deep oceans that will overflow their basins and inundate the entire surface, but we show this logic to be flawed," he said. "Terrestrial planets have significant amounts of water in their interior. Super-Earths are likely to have shallow oceans to go along with their shallow ocean basins."In their model, Cowan and Abbot treated the intriguing exoplanets like Earth, which has quite a bit of water in its mantle, the rocky part that makes up most of the volume and mass of the planet. The rock of the mantle contains tiny amounts of water, which quickly adds up because the mantle is so large. And a deep water cycle moves water between oceans and the mantle. (An exoplanet, or extrasolar planet, is a planet outside our solar system.)Cowan presented the findings at a press conference, "Windows on Other Worlds," held Jan. 7 at the 223rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society(AAS) annual meeting in Washington, D.C.He also will discuss the research at a scientific session to be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 8, at the AAS meeting (Potomac Ballroom D, Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center). The study will be published Jan. 20 in the Astrophysical Journal.Water is constantly traded back and forth between the ocean and the rocky mantle because of plate tectonics, Cowan and Abbot said. The division of water between ocean and mantle is controlled by seafloor pressure, which is proportional to gravity.Accounting for the effects of seafloor pressure and high gravity are two novel factors in their model. As the size of the super-Earths increase, gravity and seafloor pressure also go up."We can put 80 times more water on a super-Earth and still have its surface look like Earth," Cowan said. "These massive planets have enormous seafloor pressure, and this force pushes water into the mantle."It doesn't take that much water to tip a planet into being a waterworld. "If Earth was 1 percent water by mass, we'd all drown, regardless of the deep water cycle," Cowan said. "The surface would be covered in water. Whether or not you have a deep water cycle really matters for planets that are one one-thousandth or one ten-thousandth water."The ability of super-Earths to maintain exposed continents is important for planetary climate. On planets with exposed continents, like Earth, the deep carbon cycle is mediated by surface temperatures, which produces a stabilizing feedback (a thermostat on geological timescales)."Such a feedback probably can't exist in a waterworld, which means they should have a much smaller habitable zone," Abbot said. "By making super-Earths 80 times more likely to have exposed continents, we've dramatically improved their odds of having an Earth-like climate."Cowan and Abbot accede that there are two major uncertainties in their model: that super-Earths have plate tectonics and the amount of water Earth stores in its mantle."These are the two things we would like to know better to improve our model," Cowan said. "Our model is a shot from the hip, but it's an important step in advancing how we think about super-Earths."The paper is titled "Water Cycling Between Ocean and Mantle: Super-Earths Need Not Be Waterworlds."The Daily Galaxy via Northwestern University Image credit: With thanks to http://freetheta.com/planet-earth.jpg

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A mystery of the moon that imperiled astronauts and spacecraft on lunar missions has been solved by a Purdue University-led team of scientists as part of NASA's GRAIL mission. " Topography (top) and corresponding gravity (bottom) signal of lunar Mare Smythii containing a significant mascon [Credit: Martin Pauer/WikiCommons]"Large concentrations of mass lurk on the lunar surface hidden like coral reefs beneath the ocean waves -- an unseen and devastating hazard. These concentrations change the gravity field and can either pull a spacecraft in or push it off course, sealing its fate to a crash on the face of the moon."In 1968 these mass concentrations were an unwelcome discovery as scientists prepared for the Apollo landings, and they have remained a mystery ever since," said Jay Melosh, a member of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, science team who led the research. "GRAIL has now mapped where they lay, and we have a much better understanding of how they developed. If we return to the moon, we can now navigate with great precision."A better understanding of these features also adds clues to the moon's origin and evolution and will be useful in studying other planets where mass concentrations also are known to exist including Mars and Mercury, said Melosh, who is a distinguished professor of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences and physics."We now know the ancient moon must have been much hotter than it is now and the crust thinner than we thought," he said. "For the first time we can figure out what size asteroids hit the moon by looking at the basins left behind and the gravity signature of the areas. We now have tools to figure out more about the heavy asteroid bombardment and what the ancient Earth may have faced." " Jay Melosh, a Purdue distinguished professor of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences, stands in front of a map showing the moon's gravity field. As a member of the science team of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, mission, Melosh led a study of large concentrations of mass beneath the lunar surface. The team confirmed that the mass concentrations, or "mascons," were caused by massive asteroid impacts billions of year ago and determined how these impacts changed the density of material on the moon's surface and, in turn, its gravity field [Credit: Purdue University photo/Mark Simons; image of lunar gravity field courtesy of NASA]"The team confirmed the standing theory that the concentrations of mass were caused by massive asteroid impacts billions of years ago and determined how these impacts changed the density of material on the moon's surface and, in turn, its gravity field. A paper detailing the results will be published online by the journal Science on May 30.In addition to Melosh, Purdue team members include Andrew Freed, associate professor of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences, and graduate students Brandon Johnson and David Blair. Additional team members include Maria Zuber, GRAIL principal investigator and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; J. Andrews-Hanna of the Colorado School of Mines; S. Solomon of Columbia University; and the GRAIL Science Team."The explanation of mascons has eluded scientists for decades," Zuber said. "Since their initial discovery they have also been observed on Mars and Mercury, and by understanding their formation on the moon we have greatly advanced knowledge of how major impacts modified planetary crusts."The mass concentrations form a target pattern with a gravity surplus at the bulls-eye surrounded by a ring of gravity deficit and an outer ring of gravity surplus. The team found that this pattern arises as a natural consequence of crater excavation, collapse and cooling following an impact.The team determined that the increase in density and gravitational pull at the bulls-eye was caused by lunar material melted from the heat of the asteroid impact. The melting causes the material to become more concentrated, stronger and denser, and pulls in additional material from the surrounding areas, Melosh said.The large asteroid impacts also caused big holes into which the surrounding lunar material collapsed. As the cool, strong lunar crust slid into the holes it bent downward, forming a rigid, curved edge that held down the material beneath it and prevented it from fully rebounding to its original surface height. This causes a ring with less gravitational pull because the mass is held farther below the surface, the top of which is what most influences the gravitational signature, he said.The outer ring of increased gravitational pull comes from the added mass of the material ejected by the initial impact that then piles on top of the lunar surface.The team combined expertise in specialized computer analysis methods called hydrocodes and finite element codes to create computer simulations that could show the physical changes occurring from microseconds to millions of years. The team analyzed the Freundlich-Sharanov and Humorum mascon basins.Melosh is a pioneer in adapting computer hydrocodes -- computer programs originally created to analyze the flow of liquids -- to simulate how complex materials move when high-speed collisions occur, like that of a planetary collision. Hydrocodes can be used to study such phenomena on a time scale of microseconds to hours, but are not practical from time scales much longer than that, he said.Freed is a leader in adapting finite element codes, like those used to study car crashes, to simulate the changes in density of complex materials upon cooling and the evolution of Earth and other planets on the time scale of hours to millions of years.Using the GRAIL data set, which offers an unprecedented, detailed map of the distribution of masses in the moon, the team was able to put together a picture of how the moon's crust and mantle behaved and the development of the concentrations of mass in the aftermath of large asteroid impacts."Author: Elizabeth Gardner Source: Purdue University [May 30, 2013]"

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Howard Zebker, Educator of Geophysics and Electrical Manufacturing at Stanford College, theoretical "If near is pleasant vitality pumped featuring in Titan's impression and stand up from the sun, subsequently it is viable that this would this would childish person protest march of life forms that desire good feature of the vitality bringer. It would be very a mixture of life than on World, as it is defective 292 degrees Fahrenheit most of the time. Immobile, Titan bomb one of the best places for life to get up in the solar system." Deep structures dotted on Titan menace the moon's traveler variations. Brilliant spots in a boundless lake on Titan board that Saturn's main moon rigging proceedings alike to Earth's water govern, says Zebker. At first perceive, Titan has little in common with Globe World. The main moon of Saturn, temperatures on Titan's stand up reservoir roughly speaking 300 F less than secret message, its seas bubble with weaken methane, and its sky is a miserable despondency of creamsicle. And yet, new scan of charm quality spotted on the moon specifies that it practices one of the constant international business courses that are horrible concerning on World.In a research dispersed in the latest assignment of NatureGeoscience, researchers in use with the Cassini satellite, plus Zebker, provide proof that Titan has traveler cycles twin to Earth's, and that the moon's stand up situations varies as the Titan court reveals. The Nasa's Cassini satellite has been spinning Saturn and its moons when 2004. Zebker, is one of the primarily researchers in force the spacecraft's radar tools. Radar is unadorned for studying Titan in personality being the moon's impression is fluently too melancholy and unbending for visual tools to see knock down minus stoppage.By way of five fly-bys of Titan's Ligeia Mare, a weaken methane sea better than Team Improve, the researchers observed satisfactory quality that appeared and unusual shape on the sea's stand up. Once upon a time bylaw out a dutiful delay or an surprising object of radar dispersal, the group deep-seated on three sources most crude for the occurrences. One such mixture might bear low-density solids that traditionally fall less than the stand up, by far since bog in a branch delta, but subsequently propagate and grouping attached. Incongruent ice on World, sound methane is thicker than its weaken dais, so it sinks pretty of floats. Persistent passion variations might bang for the image and death of these solids, as they clout be free from the flooring and explosion to the stand up in electric fire temperatures. A second tint includes bubble. As summer temperatures gracious the sea, bubble circumscribed by the dipped sound particular might be released and spring to the stand up. To conclude, the satisfactory quality might be cresting emission, thrashed up by summer breezes.Two-and-a-half billion days ago, the Earth's impression was overflowing in hydrocarbons, amalgamated to Saturn's moon, Titan. Yet to be Earth's impression second-hand methane and initiated improve oxygen, although, our planet seems to stand cycled stick up for and forth one few million days among the two states days a hydrocarbon gas and total skies. A sunlight-blocking fog most absolutely insincere the protest march of microbes that rely on light to photosynthesize and contributed to the cycle in the past the fragment oxygenation of the impression. (If you uncover any false move or fault in this article subsequently interest wisdom free to hand out in luster and if you require to enlarge this article subsequently luster less than)

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"Scientists identify Peculiar Home like planet and it may be habitable !According to latest finding disclosed by Scientists of the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland they identify the most Earthlike planet yet... The new Peculiar Home like planet is 50% stuck-up in roundness of our earth and add up to planet could do with be either stony or interior taking into account load.Is it real-time or step on the way to disclosure? As absolute yesterday Stephen Bassett, head of the Everyday Training Crowd (PRG), which hosted the X-Conference, held that the truth about extraterrestrial life is being suppressed while it is politically bomb.He held : "Obama crack impart by May 31 or else extra ceremonial reasonably bestow in the past then.."This Earthlike planet spotted external our solar system is the first found that may perhaps girder result water and place of safety life, scientists announced yesterday.And at what time astronomers are not yet able to strain to see for secret language of biology on the planet, the discovery is a radical in planet recognition and the search for extraterrestrial life, one taking into account the contract to sturdily modernize our set on the universe.The new planet is about 50 percent stuck-up than Home and about five period add-on great. The new "SUPER-EARTH" is called Gliese 581 C, after its star, Gliese 581, a dumpy red dwarf star to be found 20.5 light-years apart that is about one-third as great as the sun.Possible waterworldComputer models add up to Gliese 581 C is either a stony planet like Home or a waterworld interior entirely by load."We claim imaginary that the mean round of this super-Earth deception connecting 0 and 40 degrees Celsius ["32 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit"], and water would for that reason be result," Udry held.The scientists exposed the new world by the use of the HARP android on the European Southern Observatory 3.6 timepiece counselor in La Sille, Chile. They employed the supposed radial break the speed limit, or "WOBBLE," scheme, in which the roundness and deposit of a planet are rigid based on unimportant perturbations it induces in its parent star's fly in a circle via thoughtfulness.

Credit: we-are-believe.blogspot.com

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Historically the world's space exploration attempts have focused exclusively on terrestrial missions. And until recently, the search for life on other planets was reserved for rovers with wheels. But now, following much speculation that life could exist in harsher climates and subsurface oceans, scientists are looking to send a boat to Titan.

Titan is Saturn's largest moon and is home to dozens of liquid methane lakes. And on September 27th 2012 at the European Planetary Science Congress in Madrid, a group of European scientists proposed sending the Titan Lake In-situ Sampling Propelled Explorer (TALISE) to the largest of these lakes - Ligeia Mare - to study its possible habitability. With temperatures as low as -178C, scientists believe that Titan is simply not suitable for life; yet others argue that the thick Earth-like atmosphere of Titan could provide enough insulation for a giant subsurface ocean.

Learn more about Titan

While the 2005 Huygens probe landed on Titan and provided 90 minutes worth of data, the TALISE space boat is expected to carry out research for 6 months. The boat's propulsion method is still being reviewed with the three main methods seen below, and scientists are also looking at the use of tank wheels, air propellers, liquid propellers and a hovercraft design.

TALISE is currently in its early conceptual stages and its feasibility is not yet known.

Credit: discover-ghosts.blogspot.com

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From engagement to engagement at hand are new inventions that give the right us to realize and tie inspiration about the legroom. But knowingly stationary remainder murky and unfamiliar. As a result, it would be uncritical to have an effect that we grasp the answers to all our questions. Get au fait amongst the ten most staggering mysteries of the solar system:

10. Bumpiness TEMPERATURES AT THE POLES OF THE SUN

Why the Suns' South Bar is colder than the Northern Pole? In 1990, in space was launched spacecraft "Ulysses." This is the first wile that studies the sun, not cleanly from the ecliptic plane (equatorial), but in addition from the poles. "Ulysses" was whispered at a hit the highest point of over six Jupiter radii, walked out of the plane of the ecliptic (the plane in which the planets spin the Sun) and headed first to the areas of the interplanetary plasma from the Sun's south stop, and furthermore to the areas of the North Bar. The wile worked for high-class than 17 vivacity, the spacecraft sends information about the Sun, the solar snake and the poles. At the same time as the design life of the apparatus has long nowhere to be found, due to it more willingly than nearby at hand. As well as the carefully worked-out argue found odd fact that the South Bar is colder than the North. By way of a spectrometer onboard the ship SWICS analyzed the composition of the solar snake, falsification the family member abundance of oxygen ions O6 and O7 ++, which is an obscure great thing of the temperature of the gas. In this case, Ulysses remainder logically concrete wait of 300 million km from the aspect of the sun. At the same time as the temperature was set poles of the Sun: about a million degrees Celsius. Leg divergence at the poles of 7-8%, which is 80 thousand degrees. Scientists most stupefied that the temperature divergence does not depend on the enchanting command of the sun (endless if in the 11-year point of its poles are displaced). Physicists have an effect that the character of "way of being" of the sun's poles are remarkable. But the command remainder effortless.

9. MYSTERIES OF MARS WHY SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN HEMISPHERE OF MARS SO DIFFERENT?

The southern hemisphere littered amongst craters. The aspect of the northern hemisphere has a few craters and a large part consists of outgoing volcanic plains. Scientists make known such a strong adjust to the intellectual hemispheres of the planet Mars, the worth of a disaster amongst an asteroid the develop of Pluto. According to inexperienced checking account, at an at the wrong time at hand of birth lithospheric plates "gathered" (doubtless unsuspectingly) in one hemisphere and furthermore "chilly" in gum. Moreover, the divergence in the midst of the hemispheres is stationary a contented of end. Is at hand importantly a curse of Mars? According to diverse sources, everything paranormal that takes down all our ships on the propinquity of the planet. Records show that about two thirds of all space missions grasp erstwhile. Russian weaponry spaceships were being trapped in Mars, out of tome. U.S. satellites were dented in the intermediary. British triggers cell phones after landing on the Red Mud grasp not filed any signal. Maybe that's it - fair-minded folk tales. Or unoriginal escaping from the hands of providence. Moreover, most of the spacecraft sent to Mars grasp been lost.

8. TUNGUSKA Phenomenon

Having the status of happened close by the Tunguska River? Summon up, as Fox Mulder through his way depressed the Russian forest: this time it is not an consequence of "The X-Files." June 30, 1908, about seven o'clock in the first light pronounced time, over a famous area of Eastern Siberia in the area in the midst of the Lena and the Gravel Tunguska Rivulet in the south-east to north-west from the Sun flew a large launch set outer framework. Eyewitnesses described the resplendent garden-fresh light that was noticeable for a number of hundred miles. In seconds, the clamor in a radius of about 40 kilometers of forest were knocked down, broken down, animals, people grasp suffered. At the same time due to light hype for tens of kilometers brusquely the flared taiga. Started a launch broken down the undersized that survived the boom. Resolute inrush occurred 80 million plants over an area of 2,150 sq km. Capability expand for diverse vivacity has converted the once booming plant life and agree with taiga inwards a sad burial ground of inorganic hidden. It was a tragedy. But the pressure of this considerable bodies did not twisted fissure. Having the status of is it appears that dropped on us from the sky? Exhibit are diverse hypotheses to make known the Tunguska phenomenon. Certified scientists have an effect that the boom was caused by the explosion of intuitive gas, a incineration meteor had entered the way of being. Exhibit are endless quite a few odd postulation, as the boom of UFOs. The locate is drawn-out by the fact that none of the diverse expeditions did not end the discovery of a meteorite.

7. THE Ascend OF THE Spotlight OF Set sights on OF URANUS

Why Uranus rotates "lying on its side?" If other planets can be compared to circling tops, furthermore Uranus is high-class dearth a clique rolling: the equatorial plane of Uranus is slanted to the plane of its spin at an angle of 97.86 degrees. This gives a spring up remarkable from the other planets in the solar system, the of subtract of to be decided seasons. One and all stop is 42 Cuddle vivacity in the gloom - and inexperienced 42 vivacity under the light of the sun. We in addition caution that nearby all of the planets turn round counter-clockwise (as viewed from the North Bar). In words of one syllable Venus rotates clockwise. So was untutored the theory that the wounded rotation of the planet was due to disaster amongst a famous considerable framework. Maybe Uranus was the same? Certified scholars quarrel amongst this checking account. So, promote investigate is required.

6. THE Appearance OF TITAN

Why on Titan has an atmosphere? Titan is Saturn's moon, sec largest moon in the Excessive Set-up (after Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter). In addition, it is the cleanly moon in the solar system amongst a stringent way of being, and the cleanly satellite amongst the aspect of which can not be observed in the noticeable due to cloud cover. Titan is meticulous to Cuddle, conversely low-ranking to it in develop. Require on the aspect of Mars is 160 times less significant than the Cuddle. On the aspect of Venus is about 100 times director. The pressure at the aspect of Titan is fair-minded 1.6 times the pressure of Earth's way of being. Moreover, the way of being Titanium consists intrinsically of nitrogen gas (about 95%) and is the neighboring in composition to the Earth's way of being (compared amongst other bodies of the solar system.) But where did this nitrogen came from, both on Cuddle and on Titan? It remainder murky.

5. THE Excessive Nimbus

Why first aspect of the sun is hot? The Nimbus, the outermost, most thin and the up-to-the-minute part of the solar way of being. It can be traced from the solar part up to distances of tens of solar radii. Nimbus has a temperature of about a million degrees period photosphere has a temperature of about 6000 degrees. But how does this happen? If you twist an not beautiful bulb, the air about it behest stationary not be very hot. The closer you get to the light provide, the hotter it is, not colder. In the case of the Sun we faced amongst scarcely the back phenomenon, which is underneath to all the laws of physics.

4. COMET Wipe

At high temperature, ice comets form dust? Comets are brusque icy outer space bodies having a dull vision, orbiting the Sun overall extended orbits. In the same way as near-term the Sun the ice begins to disperse and form the comet's trance and sometimes a tail of gas and clean. Presumably, the long-period comets fly to us from the Kuiper Go on a go-slow and the Oort Cloud, which contains millions of comet nuclei. Jan. 15, 2006 Shot "Stardust" amongst worthy samples of Comet Wild-2 through a velvety landing on the ground in Utah. Painstaking remedy of the cloth was subjected to a comet. Chief clearing is that comets grasp a knowingly high-class complex character than wished-for. The real edge was the discovery that most of the substances is confident a loud cloth from the outskirts of the solar system, but about 10% was twisted at high temperatures. It is not everyday where did these 10% if the comet did not elaborate inwards the medium Excessive Set-up.

3. THE KUIPER Go on a go-slow

Excessive Set-up onwards the spin of Neptune, In this vicinity at hand are a large number of space objects, the most famous (but not the largest) of which is Pluto. The Kuiper Go on a go-slow is spitefully assumed. American spacecraft to reach the thrash cleanly in 2015. In the meantime, absent to exceptional person why in ill will of theories of objects in the Kuiper thrash speedily decreases at a wait of 50 AU According to one of the assumptions onwards the fasten of 50 AU at hand is a lot of space objects, but they are not grouped, so they can not be seen. Exhibit is one high-class odd version: in the Kuiper thrash flew a famous outer space framework about the develop of Cuddle or Mars, which is it appears that "doughty" all the objects that were found at hand. This checking account has no evidence and is cleanly get taller rumors about the existence of the planet's X-Men. And the mystery of the existence of the Kuiper Go on a go-slow and was not disclosed.

2. THE Deviation OF THE "Jump"

Why Jump ships off course? Tackle "Jump 10" (launched in Expound 1972) and "Jump 11" (launched in April 1973) are the most famous series procedure. They are the first to reach the third considerable speediness and first explored the important space. At both times, scientists grasp noted a odd fact: the ships somehow deviated from the course. The departure was brusque in cosmological rider (about 386 thousand kilometers after traveling 10 million miles). And the first and the sec time, it was the same. Scientists grab it difficult to give an explanation for this.

1. THE OORT Cloud

This is the biggest mystery. If in the Kuiper thrash, we can stationary determine a large space objects, the Oort cloud is too far out-of-the-way (high-class than 50 thousand AU from the Sun). The Oort Cloud is a school Excessive Set-up, present as a provide of comets amongst a long era of receiving. Instrumental existence of the Oort cloud is not confirmed, but diverse obscure evidence points to its existence. Fabrication never ceases to amaze and bewilder us all amongst new puzzles. But for scientists spate of work!

Confidence

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Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here's today's news:g STARS -Scientists of Canada's National Research Council succeeded in taking images of an extrasolar star system or at least parts of it. It is the first time we can see three planets circling a star other than the sun. The star, called HR 8799, is approximately 762.5 trillion miles away from the Earth. See article.g ABODES - At two distinct points in history, increases in oxygen and oxidation of deep oceans may have impacted the spread of complex organisms. The two events - occurring 635 and 551 million years ago - highlight the connection between the environment of Earth and the evolution of life. See article.g LIFE -The greenery on other planets may not be green. Astrobiologists say plants on Earth-sized planets orbiting stars somewhat brighter than the Sun may look yellow or orange, while those on planets orbiting stars much fainter than the Sun might look black. See article. Note: This article is from 2007.g MESSAGE -Recent advances in wireless computing technology could improve deep-space missions like asteroid research and remote spacecraft operations by changing the way signals are sent from Earth. A new method designed to effectively deliver commands and instructions using hundreds of millions of tiny transmitters linked together could also free the giant satellite dishes currently used to send and receive the long-range information for other applications. See article. Note: This article is from 2005.

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Of course, did he get a signal and did he keep the data? It all becomes eminent having the status of we now rally we beseech to ventilate reasonable submit and it is all an difficult kismet. Guise in the meantime get an difficult route from data that he had doable dismissed as a doable sham signal until the star itself became eminent superior. I hope for he did not track the data for yourself cool as a cucumber out.This poses an interesting suggestion. Would a alien research pole use shut stars by laser emissions in the visual spectrum to get citizens attention? If yes, next the stem of scenario plus ourselves has to be moderately junior.That means they possibly will and have to set up regular signaling. And so a united achieve on the planet over at bare minimum a year have to be near."Odd Wigwag COMES FROM Alien Mud, SCIENTIST SAYS"By Denise Cooking""Published October 11, 2010 Coldness.com""This artist's world shows just open planet Gliese 581g, which has a 37-day clique suitably in the feeling of the star's habitable zone. The Gliese 581 system and its host red dwarf star is on its own 20 light kick from Land-dwelling.""The recent discovery of Gliese 581g, an alien planet in the habitable zone of unusual star, has been an spine-tingling expansion for scientists inquiring the galaxy for secret code of extraterrestrial life. At bare minimum one remonstrate of a aptitude signal from the planet has otherwise surfaced - and been met by ringing disbelief among the science natives.""Investigation the Sept. 29 announcement of the discovery of Gliese 581g, astronomer Ragbir Bhathal, a scientist at the Institution of Western Sydney, claimed to munch detected a suspicious pound of light something like two kick ago, that came from the awfully area of the galaxy as the dwelling of Gliese 581g, according to the U.K.'s Rag Calligraphy online. [Alien Mud Gliese581g: FAQ]""Bhathal is a aficionada of the Australian repayment of SETI, a non-profit precise organization that is concentrated to research, exploration and expertise in the sphere of astrobiology.""Whenever there's a clear night, I go up to the observatory and do a run on quite a few of the outer space objects," Bhathal told the Rag Calligraphy. "Looking at one of these objects, we found this signal. We found this very spiky signal, bake of a laser double up thing which is the bake of thing we're looking for - a very spiky switch. And that is what we found.""Silence, submit are quite a few scientists who are wary of Bhathal's announcement."I rally the scientist, and to the same degree he first announced it, I asked him for the details, and he wouldn't send an e-mail to them to me," astronomer and SETI inventor Open Drake told Coldness.com. "I'm very suspicious.""Drake is certified by conducting the first search for signals from extraterrestrial intelligences 50 kick ago as little bit of what was next called Assignment Ozma. He coined the prominent Drake Equation to tote up the stem (N) of alien civilizations by whom we dilution be able to hit it off.""Bring up appraise would perhaps fair or disprove the held aspect, but Drake thinks that the remonstrate is doable a infer one."Odd Wigwag, OR PHANTOM?""Bhathal claimed to munch detected the mystifying signal in Dec. 2008, virtually two kick prematurely researchers announced the Gliese 581g prudence, and long prematurely it was announced that habitable planets were found orbiting the star Gliese 581 itself."I'm not attentive of the dwelling that was claimed for the writer of that light, and [Bhathal] refused to tell me someplace it came from," Drake intended. "I fake it's very fantastic that it came from the sale of Gliese 581."Gliese 581g is one of two new worlds that was open orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 581, which is to be found about 20.5 light-years from Land-dwelling. In total, submit is a intimates of six planets that has been found around Gliese 581. [Circuit the six Gliese 581 planets.]""Steven Vogt, a lecturer of astronomy and astrophysics at the Institution of California, and his fellow worker Paul Butler of the Carnegie Abode of Washington announced the Gliese 581g prudence in a press conference held by the Birthplace Science Ignoble on Sept. 29.""In the direction of GLIESE 581G""Like submit are six planets highly praised to clique around the parent star, Gliese 581g is the on its own one in the supposed habitable zone - a section someplace answer water can exist. Astronomers munch long-thought that the presence of answer water, which accompanies life on Land-dwelling, possibly will be a chief function for life on other worlds."Commentary munch old hat that Gliese 581g is in the midst of three and four mature the row of Land-dwelling. Like it is larger than our planet, it is calm classified as a something like Earth-sized world. Its radius is in the midst of 1.3 and two mature the size of Land-dwelling, scientists munch intended.""The planet has not been properly named yet (nor munch any other worlds in the Gliese 581 system). But Vogt has utter it the surname "Zarmina's World," in medal of his companion."

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AP - Scientists camping out in the Australian Outback this weekend request be tenaciously scanning the night sky for the long-delayed give in return of the first spacecraft to function a round-trip program to an asteroid.

The Hayabusa pill has traveled 1.24 billion miles (2 billion kilometers) in seven vivacity and is conventional to land in the chuck of South Australia state Sunday night.

Launched by Japan in 2003, Hayabusa is conventional to be tickle pink space affair organized concluded its two short landings on the asteroid, which request present insights happening the introduction and steadiness of the solar system.

"There's truly meager amount be on a par with leaving to the station," assumed Trevor Ireland, mingle finer for Secure Chemistry at Australian Territory The academy and the only Australian on the Hayabusa political party. "Hayabusa has sampled an asteroid in situ and soon we request detain in hand an genuine asteroid. Any demo tape expectations account from (the asteroid) request be a ensuing exact hold dear for us."

He assumed scientists request take notice of enhanced from studying the asteroid demo tape than from meteorites that are burned concluded their fall on Secure and generate unhealthy by reserves inwards.

Hayabusa, which means 'falcon,' request re-enter Earth's finger late Sunday night more than the Woomera Prohibited Zone, a military zone 300 miles (485 kilometers) north of the South Australian state conurbation of Adelaide.

The initially largest part of the duct request go like a bullet up on re-entry - conventional to ignite a variety show burst in the midnight sky - but a petite frame tickle pink the samples retrieved from the asteroid be obliged to parachute to the chuck tile. The frame request be on the go to Japan for say.

The Japan Aerospace Study Charge built and launched the asteroid explorer, which landed on its victim in late 2005. Hayubasa took photo images from all angles of the 1,640-foot (500-meter) -long asteroid called Itokawa before landing. It was certain to impel a shot happening the edge of the asteroid that would exterminate it and upset any affair through a desire tube happening the demo tape reef knot frame.

Organize is no certainty that the shot certainly enthusiastic, scientists say, but they take as read that the corollary of the tube's landing would detain touch some affair increasing and happening the reef knot lair.

"Equitable the list of landing would detain covered the hub in the manner of spray," assumed Michael Zolensky, one of two NASA scientists functional in the project. "It has the function to seize one-tenth of a kilogram (3.53 ounces), but we now only need smaller number than a gram (0.04 ounce) of affair. One precise small amount can be sliced happening enhanced than 100 pieces and farmed a number of the world for willful and research."

The scientists be inclined to to say how and equally the asteroid was fashioned, its effortless properties, what other bodies it may detain been in contact in the manner of and how the solar spiral and radiation detain distressed it.

The Japanese space agency assumed the aim of the 200 million project was to give it some thought the rummage and headway of the solar system.

If Hayabusa is without doubt tickle pink samples from the asteroid, it would be only the fourth demo tape give in return of space affair in history - including the moon objects organized by the Apollo missions, comet objects by Stardust and solar objects in the Sunrise directive.

Preliminary outlook of the samples request be carried out by the political party in Japan, but after one engagement scientists a number of the world can benefit for break in to bits of the asteroid affair for research.

For now, though, the Hayabusa scientists admitted to some watchful nights as the invasion hour ultimately nears. Zolensky assumed the vivacity out of sight detain not erased Hayabusa from his observe.

"I detain a model of it suspended in my office," he assumed. "We detain worked 20 vivacity on this directive. For no matter which to go all the way out to an asteroid and reach your destination account is source action-packed."

NOTE: inwards is a join to the from the past post - Hayabusa Asteroid Scratch Footer Take To Secure...Lon

Scientists Ardently Function In Australian Outback For Asteroid Scratch Pasture

"A FEW Gaudy Links...

Can Organize Be Billion Appointment Old Entities?

Taliban By means of HIV Bombs!...likewise, Taliban put into operation a seven-year-old boy on evidence of spying for the U.S.

I've desire nurture that Dr Kelly's 'suicide' was feeble. Now, at last, we may get some answers....

'Where gray man went inaccurate....'

Clap for video

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SATURN'S Snow-white MOON ENCELADUS MAY BE Budding FOR Creature from outer space PersonalityA fact mapping of Saturn's moon Enceladus shows that the moon had had jets of water fog and ice barrage of bullets from its south send for up to 100 million time and is inundated in a edge of powdery snow proper to be 100 meters religious, according to a study by scientists at the Astral and Cosmological Create in Houston, TexasThe scientists based their predictions on high-resolution images captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, merged via a model of jet activity. In view of the fact that discussing the images at a shared sitting of the European Cosmological Science Legislative body and the American High-level Society's Schoolroom for Cosmological Sciences in France on Oct. 3, Paul Schenk, a planetary scientist at the Astral and Cosmological Create, believed the answer boosts the opportunity that Enceladus contains a blend marine base its silver surface. The existence of an marine would issue the moon one of the most blossoming sitting room in our galaxy in which to search for secret language of extraterrestrial life.THE CASSINI FLEW Here 62 MILES OF ENCELADUS ON OCT. 1 IN Taste TO Heed Spare In connection with THE PLUMES OF Sea ICE SPRAYING FROM ITS SOUTH Situation. THE PLUMES WERE In the beginning Freckled BY THE Create IN 2005 AND ARE Even-tempered OF Sea ICE Vapor Next Particular SALTS AND Open COMPOUNDS, ACCORDING TO RESEARCHERSA MAPPING OF Large-scale Defile PATTERNS AND Size OF Makeup Badger Evenness SHOWS THAT THE ICE PARTICLES THAT In a good way IN THE Sea SPRAYS Decline Get-up-and-go TO THE Soil IN A Normal Route, SHENK Thought. IN Gathering, THE Test SUGGESTS THE PLUMES Contain A Cheery Basic THAT Last FOR AT Token TENS OF MILLIONS OF Years.THE Snowstorm Badger Particular GROWS BY Less THAN A THOUSANDTH OF A MILLIMETER PER Engagement, SCIENTISTS Thought, Use THE Deposit HAS BEEN Up FOR AGES. SHENCK Thought THE Snow-white PARTICLES THEMSELVES ARE Very Fortunate AND Particular A Quantity OF A MILLIMETER IN Stoutness. "THIS WOULD Mixture FOR THE FIN-EST POW-DER A SKIER May possibly Think FOR," HE Thought. CASSINI IS Everyday TO Out of use BY THE MOON Over ON OCT. 19 AT AN Equal OF In connection with 765 MILES.SOURCE: Macro Theme Epoch

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LRO spacecraft has obtained Photosunusual structures on the lunar disappearance. They show you thatsurfacesatellites is a strong break. Is give a look-in that it ghost be old to shreds?

NASA announced that a form ranks of scientists analyzing images full by the spacecraft Moon Astral Inspection Orbiter found a paltry, narrow outlet systems on the disappearance of the Earth's typical satellite.

The researchers game that these rifts that formed since the defense of the Moon was in citizens seats dense and old, causing slouch and the slouch of the cloth fluff the failing. It is standard that the moon was hit by a Mars-sized object on our planet about 4, 5 billion energy ago. The racket pitiable to one side from the Earth's mania, which was our typical satellite. So far, notwithstanding, designed that the moon formed head correct molten rock, which next began to fresh down. As a peak of cooling of the interior, the moon began to psychotherapist, and formed on its disappearance "wrinkles". Based on the encourage of these structures, scientists severe that the detachment linking the "heart" of the moon, and its disappearance was bad by a tote up of about 90 meters. found rifts, notwithstanding, shed new light on the start of Earth's satellite. Exposed depressions formed up to 50 million energy ago, which means that they are to a certain extent new structures on the lunar disappearance. Succeed a severity of 20 meters and its depth is about 500 meters.

Such formation of land did not slip away as a peak of tic of the object, but its come out. According to astronomers, this is evidence that the moon is docile organically demanding. What's added, head forming it rocks were not emphatic melted. The apparition of hard minerals in the interior led to a typical satellite of the inland stretching of the defense and the formation of tectonic trenches. A long time ago it was steady that the moon may be expanding. If it turned out that the satellite is plummeting remark, the earth would be compromised.lunar truth moon landing
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An ordeal of penetration and environment data from the Saturnian moon Titan obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft suggests stage might be everything abnormal about the moon's further than ice protect. The end result, published on Aug. 28 in the book Milieu, relevance that Titan's ice protect might be harden, and that reasonably suddenly topographic characteristics on the decorative might be partner like gigantic ice "ancestry" extending in vogue the center marine. The deliberation was led by planetary scientists Douglas Hemingway and Francis Nimmo at the Learned of California, Santa Cruz, who recycled data from Cassini. The researchers were surprised to hook a counterintuitive associate along with penetration and environment.

"Repeatedly, if you fly over a rock face, you think to see an add to in penetration due to the extra storehouse of the rock face," theoretical Nimmo, a Cassini participating scientist. "On Titan, with you fly over a rock face, the penetration gets reduce. That's a very odd landscape."

One swear explanation is that everybody granny knot in the environment on the decorative of Titan is adulterate by a deeper "grounds" that is big adequate to throw the gravitational sway of the granny knot on the decorative. The grounds might act equal an iceberg extending below the ice protect in vogue the marine contrary it. In this model, Cassini would detect smaller amount penetration anywhere stage is a big pile of ice totally than water like ice is smaller amount accurate than water.

"It's equal a big shore circle under the ice formula pushing up on it, and the track way to aid it immersed is if the ice formula is strong," theoretical Hemingway, the paper's widely held designer and a Cassini marshal equate. "If gigantic ancestry under the ice protect are the explanation, this means that Titan's ice protect penury manipulate a very lean harden accumulation."

If these end result are conventional, a lean harden ice protect makes it very difficult to manipulate ice volcanoes, which a number of scientists manipulate future to bear with other characteristics seen on the decorative. They exceedingly relevance that convection or sign tectonics are not recycling Titan's ice protect, as they do like Earth's biologically in demand unwrap.

The Cassini-Huygens expenses is a co-op project of NASA, the European Space Source, and the Italian Space Source. The expenses is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Science Piece of work Directorate, Washington.

Credit: NASA

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New View of Saturn's Rings in Infrared --"Were They Created by a Massive Doomed Moon?"Posted: 22 Jan 2014 09:11 AM PST

This infrared image of Saturn's rings was taken with a special filter that will only admit light polarized in one direction. Scientists can use these images to learn more about the nature of the particles that make up Saturn's rings. The bright spot in the rings is the "opposition surge" where the Sun-Ring-Spacecraft angle passes through zero degrees. Ring scientists can also use the size and magnitude of this bright spot to learn more about the surface properties of the ring particles.One of the solar system's most evocative mysteries - the origin of Saturn's rings - may have been created by an unnamed moon of Saturn that disappeared about 4.5 billion years ago in a forced plunge into Saturn leaving behind the planet's spectacular and rings. As the doomed moon made its death spiral, Saturn robbed its outer layer of ice, which then formed rings, according to a new theory."Saturn was an accomplice and that produced the rings," said Robin Canup, an astronomer at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo. If the rings were formed by a moon-on-moon crash or an asteroid-on-moon, there would be more rocks in the rings. "Something had to have stripped away the outer ice of a large moon," Canup said.Billions of years ago when the planets' moons were forming a large disk of hydrogen gas circled Saturn and that helped both create and destroy moons. Large inner moons probably made regular plunges into the planet, sucked in by the disk of gas.These death spirals took about 10,000 years, during which Saturn stripped the ice away from a huge moon while it was far enough from the planet that the ice would be trapped in a ring.According to Canup's model, the original rings were 10 to 100 times larger than they are now, but over time the ice in the outer rings has coalesced into some of Saturn's tiny inner moons, which explain Tethys, an odd inner moon that didn't quite fit other moon formation theories, she said.But this doesn't explain rings on other planets in our solar system, such as Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus, which probably formed in a different way, Canup added.The rings and ice-rich inner moons are the last surviving remnants of this lost moon, "which is pretty neat," Canup said.The infrared view at the top of the page looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 19 degrees above the ringplane. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Aug. 18, 2013 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 705 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 712,000 miles (1.1 million kilometers) from Saturn and at a Sun-rings-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 7 degrees. Image scale is 43 miles (68 kilometers) per pixel.The Daily Galaxy via NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute and Nature.com

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It was fifty years ago today that the Russian satellite Luna 3 took the first 29 pictures of the back side of the moon. For those who don't know, the moon does not rotate like our earth does. Only one side of the moon faces earth at all times, there for the only way the see the back side of the moon is to take pictures from a satellite that travels there.Why was Russia so interested in the back side of the moon? Why spend all that money just to get a few photo's that don't show much detail at all. Just to be the first one's to send something in orbit around the moon? I guess at a time when America couldn't even get something into orbit, it's a pretty big accomplishment. Russia definitely had the upper hand to the space race. They weren't the only one's who had help from the little green men. Here's the video showing the famous Russian experimental aircraft from 1969, or is it a crashed UFO. Did they get something more than 29 photo's on that 1959 mission to the moon? Maybe someday the truth will be reviled, personally I think America and Russia both had alien technology. Attain the knowledge by attaining your attainable mind.

Reference: aquarius-project.blogspot.com

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CASSINI TO Direct Tunnel FROM Powerful Void

JUNE 19, 2013: On July 19, 2013, NASA's Cassini spacecraft preference photograph Saturn and its wonderful fight arena system dressed in a arrant snuff out of the sun. Cassini has done this twin upfront dressed in its above 9 being in revolve, but this time preference be make equal."This time, the images to be collected preference take possession of, in untouched color, a distinguish of our own planet succeeding to Saturn and its jewels on a day that preference be the first time Earthlings appreciate in frontwards their picture preference be taken from a billion miles somewhere else," says Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging ding proceed at the Void Science Boon in Remove seeds from, Colorado.This put-on connect with from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the apt positions of Saturn and Tunnel on July 19, 2013, speak the time Cassini preference slope Earth's picture. Intent credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechEarth preference arise as a cheap, waterlogged blue dot amid the jewels of Saturn. The wonderful system is too big for Cassini to take possession of in a EP snapshot, so the spacecraft preference lift up a medley, or multi-image give. Cassini preference commencement obtaining the Tunnel duration of the medley at 2:27 p.m. PDT (5:27 p.m. EDT or 21:27 UTC) and end about 15 minutes next, all point in time Saturn is eclipsing the sun from Cassini's flatten of connect with. The spacecraft's particular vantage flatten in Saturn's profile preference cause a special scientific room for maneuver to stimulate at the planet's jewels. At the time of the photo, North America and duration of the Atlantic Deep-sea preference be in daylight."The same as Tunnel preference be deserted about a pixel in amount from Cassini's vantage flatten 1.44 billion kilometers somewhere else, the ding is looking route to altruistic the world a spin to see what their address looks equivalent from Saturn," says Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "We flight of the imagination you'll finish equal us in waving at Saturn from Tunnel, so we can blotch this special room for maneuver."Sundry two above Cassini snuff out mosaics of the Saturn system in 2006, which captured Tunnel, and special in 2012, the July 19 image preference be the first to take possession of the Saturn system between Tunnel in untouched color, as human eyes would see it. It equally preference be the first to take possession of Tunnel and its moon between Cassini's highest-resolution camera. The probe's leave preference countenance it to spin its cameras in the sequence of the sun, everywhere Tunnel preference be, in need contrite the spacecraft's soft detectors.This preference be the first time Earthlings take on had frontwards dash that their picture preference be taken from interplanetary distances. To character, clap roughly speaking.

"Perpetually to the same degree we at a complete loss sight of the Tunnel among the jewels of Saturn in September 2006 in a medley that has rotation one of Cassini's most darling images, I take on hunted to do it all over another time, deserted over," says Porco. "This time, I hunted to spin the wonderful parade wearing an room for maneuver for everybody speak the soil to hint the personality of our planet and the preciousness of the life on it." Porco and her imaging ding natives examined Cassini's considered flight trail for the keep steady of its Saturn work in search of a time in the function of Tunnel would not be blocked by Saturn or its jewels. Keen between other Cassini ding members, they found the July 19 room for maneuver would make possible the spacecraft to manipulate time in Saturn's profile to copy the views from facing in the work to prevent all patent and infrared imagery of the planet and its fight arena system. This latest image preference stop a NASA heritage of space-based images of our diluted address, as well as the 1968 "Earthrise" image taken by the Apollo 8 moon work from about 240,000 miles (380,000 kilometers) somewhere else and the 1990 "Restrained Gentle Dot" image taken by Entrepreneur 1 from about 4 billion miles (6 billion kilometers) somewhere else. July 19th, concludes Porco, "preference be a day for staff all over the soil to point together the curious achievements that take on ready such interplanetary photo sessions possible. And it preference be a day to point life on the Restrained Gentle Dot."

To schoolwork terminated about the nation outreach actions amalgamated between the steal of the image, visit:http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/waveatsaturn.CREDITS:Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips Credit: Science@NASAMORE INFORMATION:Cassini address area @ nasa.gov Cassini address area @ JPLCaptain's Log -- beautifully-written spin on Cassini images penned by Carolyn PorcoThe Cassini-Huygens work is a friendly project of NASA, the European Void Place of work and the Italian Void Place of work. JPL manages the Cassini-Huygens work for NASA's Science Power Directorate in Washington, and alleged, qualified and assembled the Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras. The imaging ding consists of scientists from the United States, the United Native land, France and Germany. The imaging operations center is based at the Void Science Boon in Remove seeds from, Colo.

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It's got the same climate as Earth, plus water and gravity. A newly discovered planet is the most stunning evidence that life - just like us - might be out there.Above a calm, dark ocean, a huge, bloated red sun rises in the sky - a full ten times the size of our Sun as seen from Earth. Small waves lap at a sandy shore and on the beach, something stirs...This is the scene - or may be the scene - on what is possibly the most extraordinary world to have been discovered by astronomers: the first truly Earth-like planet to have been found outside our Solar System.The discovery was announced last month by a team of European astronomers, using a telescope in La Silla in the Chilean Andes. It forced bookies to slash odds on the existence of alien beings.The Earth-like planet that could be covered in oceans and may support life is 20.5 light years away (near one of the three pointer stars of The Southern Cross), and has the right temperature to allow liquid water on its surface.This remarkable discovery appears to confirm the suspicions of most astronomers that the universe is swarming with Earth-like worlds.We don't yet know much about this planet, but scientists believe that it may be the best candidate so far for supporting extraterrestrial life.The new planet, which orbits a small, red star called Gliese 581, is about one-and-a-half times the diameter of the Earth.It probably has a substantial atmosphere and may be covered with large amounts of water - necessary for life to evolve - and, most importantly, temperatures are very similar to those on our world.It is the first exoplanet (a planet orbiting a star other than our own Sun) that is anything like our Earth.Of the 220 or so exoplanets found to date, most have either been too big, made of gas rather than solid material, far too hot, or far too cold for life to survive."On the treasure map of the Universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X," says Xavier Delfosse, one of the scientists who discovered the planet."Because of its temperature and relative proximity, this planet will most probably be a very important target of the future space missions dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial life."Gliese 581 is among the closest stars to us, just 20.5 light years away (about 120 trillion miles) in the constellation Libra. It is so dim it can be seen only with a good telescope.Because all planets are relatively so small and the light they give off so faint compared to their sun, finding exoplanets is extremely difficult unless they are huge.Those that have so far been detected have mostly been massive, Jupiter-like balls of gas that almost certainly cannot be home to life.This new planet - known for the time being as Gliese 581c - is a midget in comparison, being about 12,000 miles across (Earth is a little under 8,000 pole-to-pole).It has a mass five times that of Earth, probably made of the same sort of rock as makes up our world and with enough gravity to hold a substantial atmosphere.Astrobiologists - scientists who study the possibility of alien life - refer to a climate known as the Goldilocks Zone, where it is not so cold that water freezes and not so hot that it boils, but where it can lie on the planet's surface as a liquid.In our solar system, only one planet - Earth -lies in the Goldilocks Zone. Venus is far too hot and Mars is just too cold. This new planet lies bang in the middle of the zone, with average surface temperatures estimated to be between zero and 40c (32-102f). Lakes, rivers and even oceans are possible.It is not clear what this planet is made of. If it is rock, like the Earth, then its surface may be land, or a combination of land and ocean.Another possibility is that Gliese 581c was formed mostly from ice far from the star (ice is a very common substance in the Universe), and moved to the close orbit it inhabits today.In which case its entire surface will have melted to form a giant, planet-wide ocean with no land, save perhaps a few rocky islands or icebergs.The surface gravity is probably around twice that of the Earth and the atmosphere could be similar to ours.Although the new planet is in itself very Earth-like, its solar system is about as alien as could be imagined. The star at the centre - Gliese 581 - is small and dim, only about a third the size of our Sun and about 50 times cooler.The two other planets are huge, Neptune-sized worlds called Gliese 581b and d (there is no "a", to avoid confusion with the star itself).The Earth-like planet orbits its sun at a distance of only six million miles or so (our Sun is 93 million miles away), travelling so fast that its "year" only lasts 13 of our days.The parent star would dominate the view from the surface - a huge red ball of fire that must be a spectacular sight.It is difficult to speculate what - if any - life there is on the planet. If there is life there it would have to cope with the higher gravity and solar radiation from its sun.Just because Gliese 581c is habitable does not mean that it is inhabited, but we do know its sun is an ancient star - in fact, it is one of the oldest stars in the galaxy, and extremely stable. If there is life, it has had many billions of years to evolve.This makes this planet a prime target in the search for life. According to Seth Shostak, of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute in California, the Gliese system is now a prime target for a radio search. 'We had actually looked at this system before but only for a few minutes. We heard nothing, but now we must look again.'By 2020 at least one space telescope should be in orbit, with the capability of detecting signs of life on planets orbiting nearby stars. If oxygen or methane (tell-tale biological gases) are found in Gliese 581c's atmosphere, this would be good circumstantial evidence for life.Dr Malcolm Fridlund, a European Space Agency scientist, said the discovery of Gliese 581c was "an important step" on the road to finding life."If this is a rocky planet, it's very likely it will have liquid water on its surface, which means there may also be life."The real importance is not so much the discovery of this planet itself, but the fact that it shows that Earth-like planets are probably extremely common in the Universe.There are 200 billion stars in our galaxy alone and many astronomers believe most of these stars have planets.The fact that almost as soon as we have built a telescope capable of detecting small, earth-like worlds, one turns up right on our cosmic doorstep, shows that statistically, there are probably billions of earths out there.As Seth Shostak says: "We've never found one close to being like the Earth until now. We are finding that Earth is not such an unusual puppy in the litter of planets."But are these alien Earths home to life? No one knows. We don't understand how life began on our world, let alone how it could arise anywhere else. There may be an awful lot of bugs and bacteria out there, and only a few worlds with what we would recognise as plants and animals. Or, of course, there may be nothing.The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute uses radio telescopes to try to pick up messages sent by alien civilisations.Interestingly, Gliese 581c is so close to the Earth that if its putative inhabitants only had our level of technology, they could - just about - pick up some of our radio signals, such as the most powerful military transmitters. Quite what would happen if we for our part did receive a signal is unclear."There is a protocol, buried away in the United Nations," says Dr Shostak. "The President would be told first, after the signal was confirmed by other observatories. But we couldn't keep such a discovery secret."It may be some time before we detect any such signals, but it is just possible that today we are closer than ever to finding life in the stars.William Hill said it had shortened the odds on proving the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence from 1,000-1 to 100-1.Spokesman Graham Sharpe said: "We would face a possible eight-figure payout if it were to be confirmed that intelligent life of extra-terrestrial origin exists. We felt we had to react to the news that an earth-like planet which could support intelligent life had been discovered - after all, we don't know for sure that intelligent extraterrestrial life has not already been discovered."The new planet, so far unnamed, is 20.5 light years away and orbits a red dwarf star called Gliese 581.
For diagrams and illustrations, see:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in page id=1965&in article id=450467or just google:New earth-like planet foundfor additional articles.
From The Galactic Federation of Worlds in Harmony,A Cosmic Citizen : I AM

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We where at my summer berth at the Category of Bothnia in Ostrobothnia. I went out due to strange charitable light phenomena harshly erratic large moon. Went back up put away to get my partner to utilize crookedly and got any "cameras" ongoing in the house to vicious circle the light phenomenons. Momentous orbital objects in attachment cough on pictures next to 3 novel strategy. Nokia lumia 520, Nokia Lumia 800, Ipad Air) Primary object where that the moon was in the fallacious boundary marker or assured strange atmospherically expansion or meteors secret the attachment caused a light show. Ensuing we surmised that it had to be stars muggy to the moon due to the clear autumn air but as they blinked in and out and encouraged exterior from the moon upsetting in link and equally condescending analogous objects appeared exterior out in the attachment we remark that it dominance be asteroids. But as the following objects equally followed the exceedingly projector as the first lights it may well not be asteroids as they where not embarrassing up or upsetting in to the attachment but amazing staying torpid for assured time earlier disturbed places for instance controlled satellites lone extremely portly along with any satellites we store regularly seen. We lost sight of the orbital objects as they singular form from dots to conduit twisted to cigar twisted and rapidly gone down brilliant sunshine exceedingly as the moon reflects the sunshine. We took assured pictures in the like stages earlier the objects alone from sight.

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"The War of the Worlds, Surrounding 2"

by

Kenneth Chang

January 10th, 2011

The New York Time

Six living ago this month, Michael E. Sinister, a professor of planetary astronomy at the California Set up of Tackle, spotted an object in the night sky that was so showy and so far whisper that he was sure it was finer than Pluto.

"Steady," Dr. Sinister understood subsequently he announced the discovery, curtailed a year later, in July 2005.

To all intents and purposes...maybe not, after all.

In November, that object, now settled as the dwarf planet Eris, agreed in leadership of a dim, indistinct deity. Astronomers led by Bruno Sicardy of the Paris Observatory pleasant how long for the deity used up behind schedule Eris and, from that, wished-for the extensiveness of Eris.

"It's tenaciously slighter," understood Alain Maury, who observed the top loss, or occultation, of the deity at the San Pedro de Atacama Space Explorations Observatory in Chile.

For now, Drs. Maury and Sicardy decrease to say brusque how apart Eris is, like they first choose to forward the outcome in the life history Font. But they say that equal office for the reservations in the clarification, the main reasonable Eris is slighter than the smallest possible reasonable Pluto.

The news raises the quarter of what weight allow happened if Eris' exacting substance had been settled from the sunrise. Dr. Brown's discovery of Eris - and the impoliteness that it was finer than Pluto - was the decreasing domino that short of the International Piercing Company to make available up amid a new definition of "planet" that disallowed Pluto. Pluto and Eris were downsized to "dwarf planets" - roundish objects that do not gravitationally rein in their orbits.

If astronomers had said Pluto to be corpulent than Eris - equal thoughtfully - weight they allow reticent the solar system at nine planets and sidestepped the following kerfuffle?

"Almost certainly," Dr. Sinister understood, save for as he tells in his unapologetically gracious book "How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Potential," he thinks the International Piercing Company got it scarcely.

The occultation divide - which means Eris is not cube slighter than meant but exceedingly extremely glossy - is the latest fear of the Kuiper Smack, a dingle of icy wreckage on top of Neptune. That collide with turns out to be equal interloper than astronomers be bothered a few living ago.

And not any person is yet by all means that Eris is definitely slighter than Pluto. Dr. Sinister, for one, is perplexed. The occultation divide seems to tutor practically that Eris' diameter is underneath than 2,360 kilometers, or 1,466 miles, Dr. Sinister understood. That is slighter than quicker estimates of 3,000 kilometers, based on infrared light from Eris, and 2,400 kilometers, based on Dr. Brown's clarification amid the Hubble Outer space Psychiatrist.

But he comments that a originate of patchy facts for the substance of Pluto suppose on numerous Web sites. Wikipedia, citing a 2006 strict paper, puts the diameter at 2,306 kilometers, deal in or take 20 kilometers.

And now Pluto is finer than Eris, "like, um, 2,306 kilometers is considerable than 2,360 kilometers?" Dr. Sinister asked, rhetorically and quizzically, on his blog.

Delving remote to hypothesis hunch of the make, Dr. Sinister did not quarter the yet-to-be-published Eris measurements by Dr. Sicardy's group, but relatively all the way through, "I allow to say: portray is no matter which dishonest in the substance of Pluto."

Patronizing than 80 living after Clyde W. Tombaugh spotted Pluto, astronomers smooth allow not pinned down brusque how big, or apart, it is.

For decades, Pluto was the magically reduction planet. It was first be bothered to be about as substantial as Lair - on 8,000 miles great - but agree with measurements had it slighter and slighter.

In 1980, Alexander J. Dessler, now at Texas A">"Persons of you nosy in observing Pluto basic swiftness," they wrote.

Cadaverous to say, the substance of Pluto stabilized. Relating 1985 and 1990, the circle of Pluto's moon, Charon, was edge-on, as seen from Lair, and eclipses enabled astronomers to method the diameters of Pluto and Charon finer without stopping. Pluto has exceedingly agreed in leadership of a few stars, too, cube as Eris did in November.

But that was smooth not the end of the story. The section of Pluto can get on to a relatively warm up not up to scratch 360 degrees Fahrenheit, hot and sticky masses for definite methane and nitrogen ices to expire and create an caress, and the caress bends light.

"Pluto's caress is melodious of a adoration a shabby convergent lens," understood Eliot F. Initial, an astronomer at Southwest Labor Institute's space studies sharing in Remove seeds from, Colo., who was an author of the 2006 paper. "Both ray is bent en route for the center of Pluto."

Thus, the exacting diameter of Pluto remains dubious.

Dr. Initial reanalyzed the astrophysical occultation data and found Pluto to be finer, amid the data of one mind amid a diameter as substantial as 2,400 kilometers.

But he understood, "I don't deduce it's that big." The token diameter, according to his calculations, is about 2,300 kilometers, departure a extensive irresolution of 100 kilometers. "This is awful for me to talk about," Dr. Initial understood.

Eris is about three period as far from the Sun as Pluto, knowingly colder and approximately absolutely devoid of any caress to blotch an occultation. So astronomers may now endure Eris' substance finer closely than Pluto's.

Indolent, the variety of reasonable Pluto sizes seems to be on both sides of the reasonable Eris sizes. "If you looked at the two of them scarcely flanking to all and sundry other sitting in space, they would picture to be brusque the same substance," Dr. Sinister understood. "You couldn't tell by eye until you took out your merely, merely big sovereign."

Drs. Maury and Sicardy viewpoint to unique arbitrate that finds a corpulent Pluto, based on the inclusion of light by methane in Pluto's caress.

That deem, by Emmanuel Lellouch of the Paris Observatory, and his collaborators, who included Dr. Sicardy, understood that to elaborate the patterns they saw, Pluto had to be at smallest 2,360 kilometers great.

But Dr. Initial, instance lauding the methane measurements, understood that too knowingly was smooth not settled about the device of Pluto's caress to hypothesis that bound to be a choice about its substance.

A finish, cause to move divide of Pluto leave from tip to toe make available in 2015 subsequently NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is to fly previously.

The slighter substance of Eris would definitely hypothesis it finer thirst quenching, Dr. Sinister understood. Through underneath section area, it would allow to muse approximately all the light that hits it to elaborate how showy it is. And to elaborate the shininess, it qualification allow a thin stockpile of methane and nitrogen wintry weather - the dead body of a thin caress that froze as Eris moved along the length its egg-shaped circle whisper from the Sun.

"Put forward is no other commonsense explanation," Dr. Sinister understood.

Eris is currently approximately nine billion miles from the Sun, but its egg-shaped, 557-year circle takes it as finish off as 3.5 billion miles. Pluto's disaffect from the Sun varies concerning 2.7 billion and 4.6 billion miles.

Trustworthy if Eris is thoughtfully slighter than Pluto, it is smooth the heavyweight of the Kuiper Smack - 27 percent finer frightful than Pluto. The orbital point in time of Charon put a finish imitation on Pluto's down, and Eris' down is evenly well pleasant like it too has a moon, named Dysnomia. That means Eris qualification allow a knowingly corpulent hilly basis than Pluto, perhaps demonstrating that Pluto and Eris did not form in outright the same way.

Further Kuiper Smack objects that Dr. Sinister has naked in the previously decade allow exceedingly exposed the farther system to be finer curious - and worried - than tons would allow meant. One of folks is Haumea, a dwarf planet that is very lingering and spins very pitiless, once the entire four hours.

"The easily thing we might deduce that would avoid it is if it got smacked, merely chilly, by no matter which else prompt in the history of the solar system," Dr. Sinister understood, "and any person melodious shook their head and understood, well, no, that makes no hunch, the prospect of that stylish is on secret message."

Along with Dr. Sinister and his collaborators naked two moons orbiting Haumea that looked adoration wreck knocked off by an depression. Indolent, the skeptics doubted.

Later, they found a dozen finer pieces of Haumea, orbiting not about Haumea but about the Sun.

"At this viewpoint, portray is no quarter this thing suffered a giant depression," Dr. Sinister understood. "I deduce we basic allow called it Humpty Dumpty more exactly of Haumea - we can definitely put this thing approve related another time."

Further substantial Kuiper Smack objects exceedingly allow petty portion moons, suggesting that giant impacts were not singular. Plentiful of them are exceedingly rockier than expected; impacts might allow knocked whisper farther layers of ice. Positively, a giant, brief depression in Eris' previously might be the chitchat it has underneath ice and finer rock than Pluto.

Spanking measurements have potential that the other substantial Kuiper Smack objects are exceedingly, adoration Eris, slighter and shinier than had been be bothered. The one settled as Makemake now appears to be easily 1,200 kilometers in diameter, not 1,500. Another, Quaoar, weight be easily 900 kilometers great, compared amid quicker estimates of 1,200 kilometers.

That plants a extensive gap concerning Pluto and Eris and the flanking main ones. "It's a merely strange thinning out of sizes," Dr. Sinister understood. "I don't deduce it's fixed anybody's attention yet."

Possibly the principal fear for example the discovery of Eris is that portray has not been unique Eris.

Dr. Brown's swab of the Kuiper Smack turned up a series of corpulent and corpulent objects - up to Eris. At the back of Eris, the search found meager amount else of feature. Put forward was a possibility of unique substantial Kuiper Smack object lurking in the Southern Hemisphere sky, out of remain standing of the California counselor that Dr. Sinister was by way of.

But Scott S. Sheppard of the Carnegie Enterprise of Washington cube done a cost of the desecrate sky, and he, too, found meager amount substantial.

"It is very exterior portray are other Pluto-size objects" in the Kuiper Smack, Dr. Sheppard understood.

Precedent the Kuiper Smack, finer mysteries await.

Astronomers choose to come across finer objects adoration Sedna, which Dr. Sinister naked in 2003. Sedna is currently about three period as far from the Sun as Neptune, which is earlier than outside of the Kuiper Smack. But at the other end of its 11,800-year egg-shaped circle, Sedna leave be 32 period as far out as Neptune.

And on top of Sedna is the Oort cloud, an equal finer indistinct archive of bodies astronomers allow not yet found, but which they are honestly convincing exist. (Undeniable of the comets that authorize by the Sun originated in the Oort cloud but were gravitationally nudged to tumble en route for the most important solar system.)

And one of folks finer indistinct objects might give orders out to be corpulent than one or finer of the desecrate eight planets, which might reignite the disagreement over what basic be called a planet.

That might spend place a awful viewpoint in the Sinister personal.

Dr. Sinister strangely delightful to deed Eris after his baby, Lilah, who was inherent three weeks to the fore the discovery was announced. He imagined that subsequently merrymaking asked, "Were you named after the planet?" Lilah might riposte, "No, the planet was named after me." His husband, Diane, dissuaded him.

Dr. Sinister at the end of the day decided on Eris, the Greek holy being of bother. Dysnomia, the moon, is a mischievous child of permit and the baby of Eris. Dr. Sinister exceedingly chose that deed like the first syllable is go bust adoration the first syllable of Diane.

Lilah, now in nursery, is one of the race affect amid her switch on over Pluto. "Slaughter is bad, and she knows I killed Pluto and consequently I'm a bad peculiar," Dr. Sinister understood. "And she would adoration me to do no matter which about it."

Dr. Sinister explained to Lilah why Pluto was no longer a planet. "And she's insipid amid that," he understood. "She has a basic, which is an alluringly clean basic."

Lilah told him, "Why don't you come across unique planet and deed it Pluto?"

"That's why I credit looking," Dr. Sinister understood.

Lilah smooth does not endure she approximately had a planet named after her.

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