#27
Mon, 5 Jul 2004 - 13:42
my dad's an astronomer, this stuff is great. i told him about the article i just read. All the planets being discovered are *bigger* than jupiter. We don't have the technology to see planets much smaller than that. Only a matter of time. I'm wondering if the gravity of some of these planets are too strong for bigger creatures to live. If these planets are bigger than jupiter and have liquid water, chances are that the organisms are pretty small (say, microscopic), maybe flat. Also remember that to have liquid water it has to be an appropriate distance from the sun. Even then, it doesn't guarantee that the planet will have a breatheable (sp?) atmosphere. Then again, who's to say that all living organisms in existence have to live the same way they do on Earth. Do all living things *need* water or is there some other subsitute?
Our sun has 9 planets revolving around it. There are billions of stars, just like our sun, in the galaxy. There are undoubtedly billions of planets around those stars. There are billions of galaxies in a universe. There are perhaps multi-verses (multiple universes--new theory). The chances for life, big and small, intelligent and not, are endless. There HAS to be life on other planets. I just hope we're smarter than them (lol). Of course we wouldn't be smarter than all aliens (i think i'm drifting into science-fictionesque pondering), our earth is 4.6 billion years old, and the universe is several billion years older. That means that there could be, just like star wars says (hehe, so cool to think about), extinct highly advanced races and present day (a day is relative in the universe, heh) advanced creatures that have lived for billions of years. Anything. If you've thought of it, it's probably happened. If you've dreamed of it, it's probably been invented. (all speculation of course, but it's fun to imagine). I remember watching one of my dad's astronomy videos and the astronomer saying, "Sometimes, I wonder if when I'm staring at the universe (through the telescope) that someone is staring back." Interesting.
It's only a matter of time before we discover life on other planets and have the means to travel there. Just like Einstein said, "Move over, Newton," for his new theories, another genius scientist will say, "Move over, Einstein," for his new theories. How long before we discover there's something faster than light? Oh, probably a good 50-200 years or so. How long before we discover how to go faster than light? oh, probably a good millenia or so.
You guys probably have thought of a lot of it...but it's so awsome to think that there could be a real life starwars out there taking place. Or a real life "independence day", where the aliens plunder the resources on each planet and wipe out other species.
I can dream, can't I?