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Proxima B
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Bernard Send message Joined: 11 Apr 12 Posts: 20 Credit: 1,801,975 RAC: 0 |
Hi everybody, Proxima B is not far away some light-years so if there is some possible life there as some people say it's probably no more than crocodiles otherwise we should had received some message. Sending probes there is technically possible to get infos within 2 human generations (laser pulsed small sailing ships) is it worth? |
Sparrow45 Send message Joined: 30 Nov 16 Posts: 48 Credit: 927,926 RAC: 0 |
Hi Bernard. We humans have only had radio communications for a little over 100 years, and the ability to detect any signals from space, let alone weak signals, for much less time. I don't think we should draw any conclusions at all based on hearing nothing from Proxima B. I would agree that this star system is a good candidate for a probe, or probably several probes. But this would be a major project for anyone but a science fiction writer. It would require lots of technology that doesn't exist today, and lots of money. And as always, the real barriers are political, not technical. Namaste. |
Bernard Send message Joined: 11 Apr 12 Posts: 20 Credit: 1,801,975 RAC: 0 |
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Michael Watson Send message Joined: 7 Feb 08 Posts: 1384 Credit: 2,098,506 RAC: 5 |
There has been some frequently-expressed doubt about the true fitness-for-life of the planets of red dwarf stars, even if they lie within the calculated habitable zone. The article linked below suggests that in many cases such planets could have strong magnetic and gravitational fields. These would tend to protect the atmosphere from erosion by strong stellar flares, common in red dwarfs, and moderate their effects on the planets' surfaces, and any life there. In the case of Proxima Centauri b, we see that the minimum mass is greater than that of Earth; probably quite a bit greater. We also see that this planet is thought to be several hundred million years older than Earth. That could have allowed ample time for a technological civilization to arise there; perhaps even one surpassing our own. The problem of why we've seen no evidence of a civilization there, in the form of radio messages, has no one clear solution. There are a number of speculative scenarios that could account for this, however. Perhaps we simply haven't listened with sufficient sensitivity, at the correct frequency, at a time that their signals happened to be pointing our way. http://www.universetoday.com/132462/new-study-says-proxima-b-support-life/ |
bluestar Send message Joined: 5 Sep 12 Posts: 7031 Credit: 2,084,789 RAC: 3 |
I should try make it a bit shorter. But the last post by Michael Watson is making me think a little. The subject of evolution is not necessarily only about biology and in a similar way it may not necessarily be related to only that of intelligence either. Before looking up, mutation could make a given species becoming a mutant and next this could perhaps mean even more or else. If evolution is supposed to mean change, it could be either for the better, or perhaps worse. If the random tick, or perhaps event suddenly made a given thing even better than previous, not too bad, but next, should we perhaps not look at the reason for why this is happening rather the result of the given outcome? Presumably the ape, or perhaps rather the chimpanzee evolved into a human, meaning homo sapiens, by first becoming Lucy, next the Neanderthal, Cro Magnon and so on. For one given thing that of a visual appearance, but even so, my guess is that the Neanderthal was never an intellectual, or even genius at all. Look at the human civilization as it appears today by means of the cities being found. Is it not the fact that we could in fact be adhering to much the same pattern when it comes to that of a given living? With my own thread here as well, the question could always be around whether a given clown could perhaps be an excuse for something else. Checking in with the main page of Yahoo! and the world we are part of is not a simple place, neither when it comes to living, or even a given understanding. Perhaps not the most important right now, but we are supposed to believe in the phrase "Lord gives and next takes" for a couple of things. Think of that of a given Creation if you will and the possible meaning for such. Even when staying away from a possible notion of Religion and Faith for such a thing, we are back at whether or not certain things could be for a given purpose, or rather there could be no given explanation at all. Therefore, while still not forgetting such a thing as Matter Creation, those things which could be both events as well as coincidences should not be left out either. By means of a given Probability, you may perhaps be able to predict a certain thing happening and next in a given future. For such a thing, neither the Standard Model, or the Theory of Relativity may perhaps not be able to explain everything. In the same way as the proton is supposed to attract everything, the electron may be able to repel in a similar way. The atom and particularly the nucleus, becomes the place where these two forces cancel out each other, making both equal. Next the neutron becomes the glue or sticking tape which holds everything together and makes for such a balance. The elementary particles of microcosmos could appear as a random chaos or disorder without meaning, but when perhaps being related with that of a given Quantum Mechanics should not necessarily be that of infinity at all, at least when it comes to numbers. Could finally mention that if there happened to be a discovery of a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A or B, I would most likely notice. For now it becomes a bit of a needle in the haystack, because we should know how small Proxima Centauri is supposed to be in comparison. Assume a given development of a civilization and next you could assume a given level of technology for such a thing. By means of Charles Darwin, evolution as such should be for a given purpose and next the "fitness of the best" for such a thing. Make it perhaps that of winners against losers when it comes to such a thing and next a couple of phrases and meanings for the same. Assuming only ourselves, we are left with the assumption that we ended up from something which we could think could be a given Creation, but possibly could rather be something else. Finally, with a more recent post being added, neither the weather, or that of radiation should not be forgotten either. |
adamtom Send message Joined: 1 Sep 15 Posts: 3 Credit: 207,248 RAC: 0 |
The new study took such characteristics into account, developing a new model of red dwarf "habitable zones" — the range of distances from a star at which liquid water should be stable on a world's surface — that considers more than just a parent star's heat. "By the classical definition, the habitable zone around red dwarfs must be 10 to 20 times closer in than Earth is to the sun," study lead author Vladimir Airapetian, a solar scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in a statement. "Now we know these red dwarf stars generate a lot of X-ray and extreme ultraviolet emissions at the habitable zones of exoplanets through frequent flares and stellar storms." This is bad news from a habitability perspective. The team's modeling results suggest that such radiation can strip the electrons off molecules in orbiting planets' atmospheres. These electrons escape into space easily, and they drag the newly created, positively charged ions with them as they go. Light elements, such as hydrogen, are lost fairly easily via this process. And superflare radiation can kick the "atmospheric erosion" up a notch, driving off oxygen and nitrogen — key building blocks of life — as well, the new study found. "Considering oxygen escape alone, the model estimates a young red dwarf could render a close-in exoplanet uninhabitable within a few tens [of millions] to a hundred million years," NASA officials wrote in the same statement. "The loss of both atmospheric hydrogen and oxygen would reduce and eliminate the planet’s water supply before life would have a chance to develop." The team's work suggests that this fate has likely befallen the recentl |
Michael Watson Send message Joined: 7 Feb 08 Posts: 1384 Credit: 2,098,506 RAC: 5 |
The fate of planets closely orbiting M dwarf stars is far from clear. Scientifically oriented models may suggest that such planets could quickly lose their atmospheres, on the geological time scale. On the observational side of things, we have the recent finding that Gliese 1132 b, an exoplanet orbiting very closely to its star, has a thick, un-eroded atmosphere. The fact that such a planet was found very nearby in space, just 39 light years away, suggests that such planets may be common. How such planets could avoid having their atmospheres scoured away by stellar radiation is an open question, though I offered a few suggestions in a previous post in this thread. |
Raistmer Send message Joined: 16 Jun 01 Posts: 6325 Credit: 106,370,077 RAC: 121 |
we have the recent finding that Gliese 1132 b, an exoplanet orbiting very closely to its star, has a thick, un-eroded atmosphere. Could you post link to such observation report please. EDIT: saw your link on news article and did search through last few issues of that journal http://iopscience.iop.org/issue/0004-637X/837/1 seems not published still. Either pending or not passed review... SETI apps news We're not gonna fight them. We're gonna transcend them. |
Michael Watson Send message Joined: 7 Feb 08 Posts: 1384 Credit: 2,098,506 RAC: 5 |
Scientific American reported in late January that the scientific paper was under review for publication in Astrophysical Journal. That's presumably still the case. Link to journalistic article, below: https://scientificamerican.com/article/signs-of-alien-air-herald-a-new-era-of-exoplanet-discoveries |
Raistmer Send message Joined: 16 Jun 01 Posts: 6325 Credit: 106,370,077 RAC: 121 |
Scientific American reported in late January that the scientific paper was under review for publication in Astrophysical Journal. That's presumably still the case. Link to journalistic article, below: yes, thanks. I found that article already but failed to find paper itself. Will see if it appears in some upcoming issue. SETI apps news We're not gonna fight them. We're gonna transcend them. |
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