Hubble find oxygen and carbon on another planet!!!

[shockwave203 Profile]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3432629.stm

"The first direct detection of oxygen and carbon in the atmosphere of a planet outside our Solar System has been made using the Hubble Telescope.
Astronomers say the planet - called HD 209458b - orbits a yellow, Sun-like star and is situated 150 light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus"

wow! oxygen and carbon found on another planet

if it can be found there, it's MORE than probable it'll exist on some other planet capeable of supporting life

[Matt174e Profile]

Allow me...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3432629.stm

[shockwave203 Profile]

ooooh you too fast Matt174e

[CapriccioSCOURG]

. . .150 light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus.

Which means technically it's anywhere from 110-180 light years away. Not far in universal terms, but well well well beyond any place we'll probably ever reach.

Plus, just having carbon and oxygen in the atmosphere doesn't mean it's going to be anything like Earth (I mean, besides the fact that it's a gas giant). Mars and Venus and plenty of the moons in our own solar system have those elements in their atmosphere as well.

Still, it's an interesting find. And you're right, it does add more solid weight to the idea of life beyond Earth, beyond our solar system.

[Colonel Ingus Profile]

That is excellent news!

Too bad Nasa is just going to let the Hubbles orbit decay and it will go poof!

ARRGGHHH! NASA sucks!

[CapriccioSCOURG]

Yeah, but Hubble isn't the only orbiting teliscope we have. Nor is it the newest, nor does it have the most instruments. A new one was just set up not too long again, with different types of camera. My current desktop image was taken with it, I sucks that I can't remember the name of the telescope.

So yep, the Space Shuttle will only be servicing the ISS from now on. That means no more science missions (which is what Columbia's last flight was) or other satellite maintience.

[Colonel Ingus Profile]

Actually the shuttle won't be supplying the Station either.

The shuttle fleet is suspended and the station is in caretaker mode. The Russians will be making supply shots up to it but as far as NASA is concerned the station is another write-off.

Because of the "international" aspect of the Station the station is in a 58 degree orbit so the Russians can make shots to it which is a very inefficient higher orbit for nations that launch nearer to the equator. The standard for most nations I believe is 27 degrees.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I think that means its 150 light years away Capriccio.

[Colonel Ingus Profile]

Not far in universal terms, but well well well beyond any place we'll probably ever reach

Thats the kind of go get'em attitude that made this nation great!

If you study any higher math (granted not my forte but I peek) there are already theorems on FTL or Superluminal travel. In fact a couple of years ago a experiment was held where they shot a laser beam thru an excited argon atmosphere and it suppossedly achieved nearly 400 times the speed of light. Miguel Abuecerra (sp?), a proffesor at the University of Wales, has a theorem of FTL in an einsteinian universe.

You may not believe the human race can do it but thats ok.
We'll go without you:D

Edit

Cool I must have remembered incorrectly. I could have sworn I read Argon. perhaps a different experiment but Wang sounds familiar.

[Bagginses]

Originally posted by Colonel Ingus
Thats the kind of go get'em attitude that made this nation great!

If you study any higher math (granted not my forte but I peek) there are already theorems on FTL or Superluminal travel. In fact a couple of years ago a experiment was held where they shot a laser beam thru an excited argon atmosphere and it suppossedly achieved nearly 400 times the speed of light. Miguel Abuecerra (sp?), a proffesor at the University of Wales, has a theorem of FTL in an einsteinian universe.

You may not believe the human race can do it but thats ok.
We'll go without you:D

http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/Superluminal.html

Good luck trying to understand that.

-Bagginses

[Colonel Ingus Profile]

Well thank you very much Mr. BAGGINSES!

Here I was thinking I was all cock of the walk and you shred my little ego trip like a lump of poo thru a woodchipper!

Reading that caused several of my remaining functional brain cells to just up and quit.

Seriously though that was kind of neat. Thanks for posting it.

[-HaVoC- Profile]

Mars has an atmosphere? I thought otherwise.

[hightimber Profile ICQ]

Originally posted by Colonel Ingus
Actually the shuttle won't be supplying the Station either.

From what I've read, Hubble's orbit will be allowed to decay because the shuttle will be doing nothing BUT doing construction runs to the space station when flights resume in late 2004.

Ingus, what have you heard?

[Chacal Profile Website]

Originally posted by -HaVoC-
Mars has an atmosphere? I thought otherwise.

It has a a tiny one, about a hundredth of earth's pressure. It's mostly CO2 with traces of earth's other gases. No poisonous gases though like methane or chlorine.