Exobiology

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51 Pegasi b

51 PEGASI b

51 Pegasi b is a planet originally and informally named “Bellerophon” after a Greek mythological hero who captured the winged-steed Pegasus for whom the constellation where 51 Pegasi is located is named.1 However, and since then, the International Astronomical Union has renamed the planet as Dimidium, which means “half.” The reference here is that Dimidium is half the mass of our planet Jupiter (though the planet, itself, is larger than Jupiter.) This suggests that the superheated atmosphere is not nearly...

Kepler 131b

KEPLER 131 B

This is the fifth planet I’ve discussed in terms of exobiology and the search for life. Other posts include Kepler 16, Wolf 359, PSR B1257+12 b, and PSO J318.5−22, a Rogue Planet. One of these planets I mentioned circles a dwarf star, another a red giant, another a pulsar and still another no star at all. In the process I’ve added discussions on alien DNA, and alternatives (to carbon) bases for life (e.g. ammonia, silicon, barium and so on), and I’ve...

Rogue planets

ROGUE PLANETS

For the purpose of this post, we’ll focus on PSO J318.5−22, some eighty light years away from Earth. One of the most fascinating phenomena in our galaxy are rogue planets. Picture them as silently traveling through space with no sun, likely no atmosphere, no life, perhaps no moons as well, though there could be exceptions. Imagine standing on the surface of a rogue planet in a space suit, with no bright sun, moon or even an atmosphere to break the...

Are we alone in the universe?

ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?

The Kepler space mission has produced data that suggests that “based upon the number of M-class stars in the galaxy, that alone represents about 10 billion potentially habitable, Earth-like worlds.”  Our sun is a G-class star.  M-class stars are fainter, cooler stars called “Red Dwarfs.”  To understand the conditions on a planet circling a Red Dwarf, refer to my post here.  Meanwhile, today’s question is “Are we alone in the universe?” Ten billion worlds.  That’s a lot.  Of course, that number is the top end.  Let’s dig into the...

Kepler 16

KEPLER 16

A word about galaxies before I get into Kepler 16.  Our galaxy is called the Milky Way.  There is no technical designation for it because no one discovered it.  It was always there. It is classified as a barred spiral galaxy, which suggests that it is a very mature galaxy.  This is because it takes billions of years for the barrel-like “bar” to appear in the center of the core of the galaxy (see the second illustration beneath to see what a bar looks...

The mysteries of Europa

THE MYSTERIES OF EUROPA

On January 7, 1610, the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei peered at Jupiter through a primitive telescope he had fashioned.  He described what he saw as “three fixed stars, totally invisible by their smallness,“ but over the next few nights, he noticed one more point of light, and that they changed positions.  Moreover, they moved in a direction that was opposite that of the other stars.  He eventually concluded that these were not truly “stars” but were actually four moons of Jupiter and they were subsequently called Io, Ganymede, Callisto and...

ALIEN DNA

How I arrived here (wherever “here” is) The first time I heard the term “alien DNA” was while I was watching a news conference on CNN early into the pandemic. There were four or five or so men and women in a group called “America’s Frontline Doctors.” They were in Washington outside the U.S. Supreme Court building, or perhaps on the steps of the Capitol. They took turns speaking, and one particular doctor started referring to the COVID virus, possibly...

Wolf 359

WOLF 359

One of the many things I find fascinating is speculating on the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. What life might emerge on a planet circling a white dwarf star, or a red giant, a pulsar? What if the planet was tidally locked? What if it was a waterworld, or an ice planet? The oceans on Ganymede, one of the moons of Jupiter are thought to be sixty miles deep with a thick crust of ice covering them. What...