...Discovery of Extra-Solar Planets and its Effects on Religion Scott R. Pelow ITT Technical College S. Slovik EN-1320: Composition one Throughout the history humankind has looked to the stars and wondered if they are alone in the universe. Only in the past few hundred years have humans had the means to start answering this timeless and most important of questions and now that humans have begun to discover extra-solar planets in their galactic neighborhood they may soon find out. The sheer mathematical probability since there are hundreds of billions of stars that populate the Milky Way galaxy. Since 1995, more than 200 extra-solar planets have been discovered, demonstrating not only are those planetary systems are common, but also that planets may come in a large variety of flavors. As the number of detections grows, statistical studies of the properties of exoplanets and their host stars can be conducted to unravel some of the key physical and chemical processes leading to the formation of planetary systems (Santos, 2008). The study of extra-solar planets has become one of the most active fields of research in astronomy since the discovery in 1995 of several giant planets orbiting nearby stars similar to the Sun. There have been many unexpected results, and the progress has been remarkable. More than 100 planets are now known, many of them in systems of two or more bodies orbiting the same star. In one case it has even been possible to detect the atmosphere of the planet as it...
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...Earliest Evidence for Life Review the earliest evidence for life on Earth. What form does the evidence take and where is it found. Discuss the controversies relating to some of this evidence and give your conclusion on the earliest date at which we can be confident that life was present on Earth. 3. Atmosphere Evolution on Rocky Planets Compare evolution of atmosphere on Earth, Venus and Mars, and explain differences in current atmospheric conditions on these planets. Describe how the Earth’s atmosphere helped life to originate, survive and develop, and how has life affected the atmosphere over time. 4. Life in Extreme Conditions Explain what extremophile life forms are and where they are found on Earth. In view of what we have learnt about extremophiles discuss the possibility of extraterrestrial life in different places of our Solar system. 5. Key Space Missions Choose ONE of the following space missions and give an account of the mission describing the challenges it had to overcome and the mission’s achievements. Describe in particular how it has influenced our understanding of the possibilities of past or present life in the solar system. o The Viking dual orbiter/lander mission to Mars. o The Galileo orbiter/probe...
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...Astronomy paper Introduction: Searching for extra-solar planets is not a very easy task. Because most of the times we find them by not actually looking at them but by the effects they produce mainly on the star around which they are rotating. It is because planets look like just a dull spec of light through a telescope. The distance between us and a nearby planet is very large. In our scale model it will be like looking at a dust particle in Thunder Bay Ontario if we are sitting in Halifax with our telescope. That’s why astronomers have adopted various techniques to find extra-solar planets. In most of the techniques we focus on the star around which planets are rotating and by noticing the changes occurring in star we can decide whether that star has planet(s) or not. The following methods are used for that purpose. 1. Astrometry 2. Radial Velocity Method 3. Pulsar Timing 4. Transit Method 5. Gravitational Microlensing Astrometry: This is the oldest method used to search extra-solar planets. This planet is basically used to find the mass of thee planet. This method is based on the gravitational effect of planet on its host star. As the planet rotates around its star, it applies gravitational force on the star and makes the star to move under the effect of its (planet) gravity. Thus, both the star and the planet revolve around a common center of mass also called center of gravity. Thus, the position of star always keeps on changing, which...
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...Johann Gottfried Galle His Early Life Galle was born in the Papsthaus [a house in the pabst woods] on June 9, 1812. He attended the Gymnasium of Wittenberg and studied at the Friedrich-Wilhelm’s-Universitat Berlin from 1830 to 1833. He became a teacher Gymnasium of Guben, teaching mathematics and physics. Later on he switched to Berlin. Berlin Observatory He started working as an assistant to Johann Franz Encke in 1835. He immediately followed the completion of the New Berlin Observatory. Galle worked there for the next 16 years. In 1838 he discovered an inner, darker ring of Saturn. From December 2, 1839 to March 6, 1840 he discovered 3 comets. Breslau Observatory In 1851 he moved to Breslau {today Wroclaw} to become the director of the local observatory. In 1856 he became a Professor of Astronomy at the Schlesischen Freddrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Breslau. He worked in Breslau for 45 years. For the academic year 1875/76 he was elected as Rector. Rector meant ruler. At Breslau he dealt with the exact determination of planetary orbits and developed methods for calculating the height of the aurorae and the path of meteors, and consolidated the data for all 414 comets discovered up to 1894 into one work {with help from his son}. Otherwise he concerned himself with the Earth’s magnetic field and climatology. Altogether he published 200 works. An aurora was a natural light in the sky. Later years In 1897 Galle returned to Potsdam, where he died at the age 98. He was...
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...OF THE ORIGIN OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM There have been two main views regarding the origin of the planets in our solar system. The first is that another star happened to pass near our sun, and drew off clouds of gases which then formed themselves into planets. This is the planetesimal group of theories. Astronomers are well aware of the fact that stars do not wander around through space, but that is how the theory went.. The other main viewpoint is that a swirling cloud of gas formed itself into our sun, planets, moons, comets, and asteroids. By 1940, all the various encounter or planetesimal theories had pretty much been discarded as hopeless, but, beginning in that decade, under the urging of *von Weizsacker, *Whipple, *Spitzer, *Urey, *Garnow, *Hoyle, *Kuiper, and others, an attempt has been made to bring astronomers back to some variation of the nebular (gas cloud) hypothesis. Their efforts have been surprisingly successful, in spite of the obvious physical principle that gas in outer space (as well as here on earth) never coagulates; it always spreads outward. Let us consider some of the major reasons the various theories of the origin of our solar system are more foolishness than fact. 1-Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the eighth largest. Mercury is smaller in diameter than Ganymede and Titan but more massive. 2-Venus is the second planet from the Sun and the sixth largest. Venus' orbit is the most nearly circular of that of any planet, with an eccentricity...
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...Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third-largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is somewhat more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times the mass of Earth but not as dense.[12] On average, Neptune orbits the Sun at a distance of 30.1 AU, approximately 30 times the Earth–Sun distance. Named for the Roman god of the sea, its astronomical symbol is ♆, a stylised version of the god Neptune's trident. Neptune was the first planet found by mathematical prediction rather than by empirical observation. Unexpected changes in the orbit of Uranus ledAlexis Bouvard to deduce that its orbit was subject to gravitational perturbation by an unknown planet. Neptune was subsequently observed on 23 September 1846[1] by Johann Galle within a degree of the position predicted by Urbain Le Verrier, and its largest moon, Triton, was discovered shortly thereafter, though none of the planet's remaining 12 moons were located telescopically until the 20th century. Neptune has been visited by only one spacecraft, Voyager 2, which flew by the planet on 25 August 1989. Neptune is similar in composition to Uranus, and both have compositions which differ from those of the larger gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn. Neptune's atmosphere, while similar to Jupiter's and Saturn's in that it is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, along with traces ofhydrocarbons and possibly nitrogen, contains...
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...to the planet Earth. It is located in about 500 light-years from Earth and sails through its habitable zone, resulting to potentially watery surface. The planet was put outside the edge of the habitable zone from the fact that in only gets about one-third of the energy from its star compared to Earth. Though researchers find a potentially habitable planet we still need to surmount the problem of getting there or surviving the trip. (Anonymous, 2007) stated that we still don’t have the idea on how far the nearest habitable planet is, but the assumed distance from the Earth is more or less 20 light years. It is implied that a light year is defined as the distance light travels in a year which is 186,282 miles per second. When it is multiplied the result would be 5,874,589,152,000 miles. The article also stated that the fastest astronauts have ever travelled so far is 7 miles a second and it means that it would take more than 26 thousand years for us to travel the distance of a light year. (Fernando, 2015) discuss the 5 possible problems that we may encounter in living on other planet. (1) The concept of time will be utterly screwed. Earth has 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year and it all depends on how fast the Earth rotate on its own axis and the length of its orbit. Technically speaking, every planet have different time depending on its axis and the length of its orbit. It is also stated there that measuring time is the most crucial elements in our daily life, and it...
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...ABSTRACT: A solar tsunami is a rare astronomical phenomenon, caused by the magnetic explosion in the sun. The sun has spurted a huge cloud towards the earth which is full of electronic ions. The planet was hit by a “Solar Tsunami” racing 93 million miles across the space. Scientists have warned that the earth could be hit by a wave of violent space storm(Coronal Mass Ejection) after a massive explosion on the sun. This huge explosion could shut down the global communication and the satellites might get destroyed. “These eruptions occur when immense magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere lose their stability and can no longer be held down by the Sun’s huge gravitational pull. Just like a coiled spring suddenly being released, they erupt into space.” This means we have a very good chance of seeing major and prolonged effects, such as the northern lights at low latitudes.” The solar explosion that causes the tsunami has been observed by many satellites along with the Solar Dynamic Observatory, NASA. The blasts will reach to a maximum level in 2020 it is estimated. Along with this blast there was another blast of cold air circumference of the sun’s northern pole. A huge cloud has been thrown in to the space with these related developments. This paper focuses on the global changes caused by the future solar activity and also presented pre actions for safe guarding our lives. Key Words: Coronal mass Ejection, Solar storms, Magneto Hydro Dynamic Waves, Solar electric repulsion...
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...The sun, a source of unlimited, sustainable, renewable energy, it is no wonder why solar energy systems is being used worldwide from country’s in poverty to homeowners in the United States. From large scale utility plants to urban communities, more solar energy systems are being used to generate electricity for many different reasons. Whether it’s saving our planet, saving money, or increasing the value of a home, these are just a few reasons why solar energy is growing. Over the past three decades SunPower Corporation has been able to improve the technology in renewable energy to generate the most energy from the sun. SunPower has been leading the quest to improve lives and our world for a better future one day at a time. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration in September of 2014, utility-scale solar power plants generated over 12,303 gigawatts- hours of electricity compared to September 2013which generated 6,048 gigawatts-hours. This is enough energy to power 1,513,703 average U.S. homes, (Danko, 2014). With the trend of solar energy and clean carbon emissions, the numbers of solar companies has risen. From manufacturing to installing, having a solar energy system has been easier and cost effective especially for homeowners. To motivate homeowners to start using solar energy system, local and state wide government has offered many incentives such as, “the eight-year extension of the Investment Tax Credit for renewable energy that was part of the...
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...Science has come a long way, especially in the field of astronomy. What early civilizations could only speculate, mankind can now know for certain thanks to modern advancements. Science has given precise measurements of unimaginable distances, images of objects billions of kilometers away, and detailed information about planets and moons humans have never visited. Astronomers use various methods to determine the composition and atmosphere of a planet. One method to determine the composition is sending probes or astronauts to the surface. Astronauts brought rocks from the moon, which were studied to determine that the moon's composition is similar to Earth's. A more recent mission to find information about extra-terrestrial bodies is the Cassini-Huygens...
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...If you ask me, mankind shouldn’t inhabit another planet in our solar system. We can’t even take care of our own planet and now we are seeking to go to another. Is man giving up on something we have built millions of years ago? Are we going to start over again in another world just because our planet is tarring up apart? The only ones to blame on this is us. Our planet earth is exhausted for us men kind never appreciating her. But she hasn’t loose hope in us. And now we are going to another planet and loose everything we have worked for in here. We don’t have all the technology to transport 7.4 billion people to another world. This is an act of selfishness man is having, this shows how man are coward and can’t deal with the problems we are...
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...EXOPLANET ATMOSPHERES Year 3 Term 2 Essay Project for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Physics with Theoretical Physics Ho Yin Desmond YUEN Department of Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom Submitted Version: Summer Term, 4th May 2015 ABSTRACT The objective in studying exoplanet atmospheres is to understand their atmospheric composition and properties, thus, to deduce the planets’ habitability. Favoured by their close proximity, studying the atmospheres within our own Solar System and seeking for resemblance is a fundamental first step before we proceed off to extra-solar systems. While the ultimate goal of detecting a true Earth twin is some time off, we are busy trying to understand the atmospheres of hot Jupiters and hot Neptunes through observing primary and secondary transits of these exoplanets. During the past decade, conflicting observations between ground- and space-based facilities, different methods of data treatment, and resolving limitations of measuring instruments have been a source of debate in the astronomy community. Controversies over the atmospheres of two of the most extensively studied exoplanets, HD 189733b and GJ 436b, are discussed here. Through a series of investigation and evaluation, the hot Jupiter, HD 189733b, is believed to possess a carbon-monoxide-rich atmosphere with a sodium-abundant troposphere, topped with high-altitude haze. The hot Neptune...
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...reducing the resources of oil and creating an energy problem on this planet they are also creating atmospheric pollution. A single change in a positive or negative way can have an effect on many other factors of this environment. In order to create positive change there needs to be proper research and education into what changes will have the best impact on this planet. The cost of the change will always be a factor but humankind needs to consider; is the cost of change a bigger factor than the change itself. There needs to be real consideration for the impact that we have over the environment by our actions and not the cost of what it will take to make a positive impact; the longer humankind takes to make positive changes the more it will inevitable cost to make those changes. The different environmental problems at this point in time that impact this planet are all linked; they all break down to how much carbon dioxide we are producing on this planet. Carbon dioxide is produced by using nonrenewable resources such as oil and coal and has exponentially increased due to the industrial revolution. The earth naturally producing carbon dioxide but we have increased the amount in the atmosphere due to our use of nonrenewable resources. We need to find the best ways that can reduce our dependence on nonrenewable resources and find a way to increase renewable resources. The energy consumption of this planet needs to become clean...
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...Ancient civilizations used astronomy by studying the sky for centuries. When they did this, they recorded what they had seen. By doing this they could predict a lot of things such as lunar eclipses and solar eclipse. Because of all the information they had by studying the sky, they were able to make a calendar. It involved solar years and lunar months. Scientific studies have influenced the decisions of where people want to live. Scientists say that climate change has a lot to do with certain extreme weather events that have been happening lately. Climate change affects major storms such as hurricanes and typhoons. The storm that is most affected by it is tornadoes. Ever since these studies came out, people have been careful on where they want to buy their house....
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...is. The force of gravity depends on the product of the mass of the two attracting bodies. If the distance between the two bodies doubles, the force between them becomes one quarter of the force it was before. The Law of Universal Gravitation is vital because it mathematically proves Kepler’s Three Laws of Planetary Motion. The Planets follow the same laws of motion as objects on the surface of the earth. (B) Newton discovered other types of orbits that have circular of elliptical paths. However, if the velocity of an orbiting body were increased, its orbital path would change to a parabola or hyperbola and it would escape the gravitational pull of the sun. It would then leave the solar system. Parabolas are the orbital paths of objects in the form of an open curve. If one cuts out an angle in a circular cone, it would follow this path parallel to the sides of the cone. Hyperbolas occur when a plane cuts across two parallels half-cones. Kepler’s laws applies to any situation where two bodies in the universe orbit each other due to their mutual gravitational attraction, not just two planets. For example: Moon’s that orbit planets, such as the four Galilean Moons that orbit Jupiter. #2)(A) The reflecting telescope, which uses a mirror to attract light was perfected by Isaac Newton in 1668 although it was developed by John Gregory in 1663. The refracting telescope, which uses a lens to attract light was developed by a Dutch optician in 1608 named Hans Lippershey...
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