Kepler keeps on finding stuff

[Rune]

The last results from our favourite planet hunter: 5 new super-Earths, with two of them sharing a single star system. Isn't that cool beyond words?

http://nasawatch.com/archives/2013/04/two-water-world.html

Now all we need is an Earth 2.0 close by, and the guts to build a big bad-ass Orion interstellar colony ship, and we will have secured the future of humanity (and its descendants, whatever they are) in the universe, long after our parent star dies. I call that a survival imperative.

Rune. And also, something that truly inspires people.

[Scotius]

Oh Gawd...the possibilities...Mind. Explodes. Two habitable, life bearing worlds in one system - lucky E.T.'s. So far we've seen things like this only in sci-fi shows - now we know it might very well be reality. What we need now is working Warp Drive - destination is known

[Rune]

You could say Mars and Earth are pretty much the same here from what we can tell at this distance, and we even get Europa as a bonus. But it is surely inspiring, two likely waterworlds!

[Scotius]

Something occured to me: Kepler-62f (this smaller, colder world) should be named Hoth! Covered in ice, but still habitable...no-brainer

[Rune]

Something occured to me: Kepler-62f (this smaller, colder world) should be named Hoth! Covered in ice, but still habitable...no-brainer

Hum. Depending on density, you could get close to 1G surface gravity, and it would fit. But iceballs must be relatively common around there, and if it's got a significant rocky core, surface gravity may be much, much higher.

[Scotius]

Another thing: either something is wrong with Kepler's optics, our methods of data analysis or our Earth is a rare case of Goldilock planet on the smallish size of the spectrum. Smallest Earth-like planet found so far is 40% bigger than our homeworld. And it can't be observation bias, because Kepler already found couple of planets smaller than Earth. What gives?

[Rune]

Another thing: either something is wrong with Kepler's optics, our methods of data analysis or our Earth is a rare case of Goldilock planet on the smallish size of the spectrum. Smallest Earth-like planet found so far is 40% bigger than our homeworld. And it can't be observation bias, because Kepler already found couple of planets smaller than Earth. What gives?

It's a relative distance thing. You could find a small planet if it orbits very close to the star, since it covers a large portion of the star, but then it won't be in the habitable zone. Or you could find bigger planets further away, but you will also need more time to confirm them since you need a couple of revolutions at least to confirm your findings, and that means a few of their years. Small planets far away need either a lot of passes to be able to confirm them with certainty (and each pass takes more time, remember), or are just beyond Kepler's sensitivity.

[Banbite]

It's just a question of time before we find an earth sized world in the habitable zone. It's just so depressing that we are never able to examine them closer. God I hope someone invents an warp drive

[Scotius]

Invented it was Now we have to find if it's works as intended, and how to build full sized one.

[Rune]

It's just a question of time before we find an earth sized world in the habitable zone. It's just so depressing that we are never able to examine them closer. God I hope someone invents an warp drive

Well, me personally, I've always found more compelling sci-fi universes without FTL than those that have it. Lightspeed may sound like a big barrier, but there are ways around it (generation ships, for example). And if you mean see them yourself, well... you could outlast the universe if you were going fast enough.

Rune. I recommend Tau Zero as a read to illustrate that last point, and Revelation Space to see how cool "STL" travel can be.

[Scotius]

Well, if you don't mind never again seeing anyone you used to knew, and suffering from severe culture shock when you return after 500 years or so...Such reality would be like ancient Polynesia - groups of would-be colonists left their home islands knowing they will probably never return, their families will never know if they survived the journey and found new island to inhabit - or if they just perished in the middle of the ocean. Nah, too depressing for me - i prefer worlds where humans keep in touch with each other, sometimes fight, sometimes help each other.

[Awaras]

Well, me personally, I've always found more compelling sci-fi universes without FTL than those that have it. Lightspeed may sound like a big barrier, but there are ways around it (generation ships, for example). And if you mean see them yourself, well... you could outlast the universe if you were going fast enough.

Rune. I recommend Tau Zero as a read to illustrate that last point, and Revelation Space to see how cool "STL" travel can be.

'A deepness in the sky' by Vernor Vinge is another great example.

[Rune]

Hey! A Hugo award I haven't read! That goes to my "to do" list right away, thanks. And Scotius... well, if the polynesians could do it, then I'm sure we can, without having to wait for new fancy physics.

Rune. We have a saying in Spain... "Sobre gustos, no hay nada escrito".

[Awaras]

Hey! A Hugo award I haven't read! That goes to my "to do" list right away, thanks. And Scotius... well, if the polynesians could do it, then I'm sure we can, without having to wait for new fancy physics.

Rune. We have a saying in Spain... "Sobre gustos, no hay nada escrito".

The 'sequel' called A Fire Upon the Deep (it was published first, and 'deepness' is a prequel...) is excellent too, won a Hugo in 1993 and is a more classic 'space opera' with FTL and stuff.