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longship

(40,416 posts)

38. Well, maybe not styrofoam, but maybe not so much iron.

Thu Apr 18, 2013, 04:39 PM

Apr 2013

The number one element on Earth is oxygen, usually combined with other elements. I think the number one solid element is silicon. Iron is up there, too.

Who knows the composition of these planets? We certainly do not. But by combining the eclipse method (Kepler space telescope) that gives us their radius with the wobble method (mostly ground-based telescopes) which may give us the mass, it may be possible to determine the planet's density.

But many of these observations are at the edge of our abilities with current equipment. For the eclipse method, one needs resolution to detect fine differences in light output and a lot of time continuously viewing the same object(s). For the wobble method, one needs a helluva good spectrograph to detect the wobbles in the star due to the orbiting planet(s) due to the Doppler shift.

It ain't easy.

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3 new planets could host life [View all] brooklynite Apr 2013 OP

Yo CNN, they are not "new" planets snooper2 Apr 2013 #1

probably last longer, too. ChairmanAgnostic Apr 2013 #3

That's common usage, though DavidDvorkin Apr 2013 #4

LOL. Good point. Cool findings, though. pinto Apr 2013 #5

It could be Wolfie AAO Apr 2013 #66

This is exciting!!!! hamsterjill Apr 2013 #2

Walking around would make you feel like you have lead in your boots... Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #6

not faster Trajan Apr 2013 #7

Gravitational pull is an acceleration so it would be faster.... Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #9

Not necessarily. jeff47 Apr 2013 #27

By "people" I assume you mean humans used to 1G at sea level... Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #34

Not necessarily. longship Apr 2013 #21

Good point. Some of these planets could have the density of Styrofoam. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #31

Well, maybe not styrofoam, but maybe not so much iron. longship Apr 2013 #38

....pssst.... Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #40

We have one of our own. Saturn is less dense than water. longship Apr 2013 #41

I can picture a planet composed of a large amount of pumice... Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #42

Well, you're thinking statically. longship Apr 2013 #44

Picture a large volcanic planet hit by a large asteroid tossing out a huge volume of lava. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #46

The moon most likely formed that way and that didn't result. (nt) Posteritatis Apr 2013 #47

I know but the earth was composed of dense material. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #50

Or it would likely spin out of the star system. longship Apr 2013 #48

We don't know what goes on in nebulas. Just about anything is possible.... Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #53

Well, still, the universe obeys the laws of nature. longship Apr 2013 #58

"One doesn't get to make stuff up." Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #59

Ahem. Your link led to a gas giant planet. longship Apr 2013 #60

"I really am not trying to malign you." Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #61

Let me put it this way. longship Apr 2013 #63

"its self gravity could not hold it together." Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #64

Good pun, my friend. longship Apr 2013 #65

I don't believe you could have a super lightweight planet in the Goldylocks Zone. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #67

But no homogeneous matter is likely to exist in any primordial system. longship Apr 2013 #68

Okay, but keep in mind that Earth has the highest density in the solar system. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #69

No problem there. nt longship Apr 2013 #70

Just look at the Tea Party. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #72

That might be the case with 253 Mathilde sofa king Apr 2013 #71

I can picture a collection of gasses forming in a nebula liquifying, bubbling and solidifying. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #73

The smaller one's 1.4 Earth masses, which wouldn't be that bad Posteritatis Apr 2013 #45

Don't fret over not having the equation.... Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #49

Ooh! Thanks! Posteritatis Apr 2013 #51

This message was self-deleted by its author GliderGuider Apr 2013 #56

at 2700 light years away they may not exist anymore leftyohiolib Apr 2013 #8

That's a blip in geologic time.... Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #10

That really isn't that far away to speculate that it may not exist anymore.... cbdo2007 Apr 2013 #12

A rocket traveling at light speed would take 2,700 years arcane1 Apr 2013 #14

Hahahaha, sorry. Figured my math would be off by a lot..... cbdo2007 Apr 2013 #20

The relative time on the rocket would be much less, at least arcane1 Apr 2013 #32

At the speed of light the aging rate of the rocket passengers would be 0 MillennialDem Apr 2013 #33

Correct :) arcane1 Apr 2013 #36

And since time stands still it would become a trap as there would be no way to shut it off. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #54

Of course, even if we could send probes to something 2700 light years away, Art_from_Ark Apr 2013 #75

if we could travel at the speed of light it would take 2700 years to get there. but we cant travel leftyohiolib Apr 2013 #16

The Shuttle and "Fearless Felix" did! Liberalagogo Apr 2013 #24

I'm outta here. The Stranger Apr 2013 #11

Me. spiderpig Apr 2013 #25

I have a list of people that should live there.lol SummerSnow Apr 2013 #13

Well... If CNN says so it must be true Blue Owl Apr 2013 #15

CNN's hardly the only station reporting this. (nt) Posteritatis Apr 2013 #43

Fascinating Joshua Pistachio Apr 2013 #17

I believe CNN is reporting that the middle one is wanted for questioning in Boston. n/t eggplant Apr 2013 #18

The middle one cnn reporting? walkerbait41 Apr 2013 #29

Actually, I think it is slightly east of the middle one. eggplant Apr 2013 #35

I, for one, welcome our new Kepler 22 through Kepler 69 overlords! Hassin Bin Sober Apr 2013 #19

Great. Can we round up all the Republicans and send them to one of them? Arkana Apr 2013 #22

+1 walkerbait41 Apr 2013 #30

Trying to start an intergalactic war? Hassin Bin Sober Apr 2013 #37

We'd win--they don't believe in science, remember? Arkana Apr 2013 #62

No. I mean a war with the Keplarians. Hassin Bin Sober Apr 2013 #74

Hee hee hee... Arkana Apr 2013 #77

They would call themselves god Eksynyt Apr 2013 #76

Will those names always be their names? Jamastiene Apr 2013 #23

Astronomers usually do not name things. longship Apr 2013 #39

Thank you for that detailed information. Jamastiene Apr 2013 #52

You are most welcome. Glad my post made sense to somebody. ;-) longship Apr 2013 #55

they should seed some of the close planets/moons with any life that survives in like conditions Sunlei Apr 2013 #26

Dibs on the one on the left! Nuclear Unicorn Apr 2013 #28

If they can host life, then they probably do. GliderGuider Apr 2013 #57

Depends on whether or not the Alien overlords have populated them yet.... cbdo2007 Apr 2013 #78

Problem with the Fermi paradox no one thinks about is the time for a civilization to rise up MillennialDem Apr 2013 #79

But if civilizations last for a very long time... GliderGuider Apr 2013 #80