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Strange Mini Solar System Found
starexplorer writes "In 1990, Penn State's Alex Wolszczan found the first exoplanets. But he never got much credit from mainstream researchers, because his planets (3
of them, roughly Earth-sized) orbit pulsars and hold no chance for harboring life. Now he's found a 4th object on the outskirts of the system, SPACE.com is reporting. Call it a planet, call it an asteroid, Wolszczan says, but call the setup a dark, eerie twin of the inner half of our solar system. Also in the same story, news of a brown dwarf just 15 times the mass of Jupiter that has a planet-making disk of stuff around it. Together, more problems for astronomers, who still don't have a basic
definition for the word planet or a firm idea of what separates planets from stars."
I think They Might be Giants defined what it was to be a star fairly well.
"The sun is a mass of incandescent gas
a giagantic nuclear furnace..."
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"Call it a planet, call it an asteroid or call it Wolszczan says, but call the setup a dark, eerie twin of the inner half of our solar system." It's Bizarro world, our solar system's dark, eerie twin.
Astronomers don't have a planet definition? Here's one! Planets are round, asteroids aren't! How's that ? :)
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Space. Quite a bit of it, I hope.
Oh, you meant what criteria separates planets from stars?
Well, I definitely would much rather live on one than the other. Is that a good definition?
At the 1990 Astronmy Conference.. And.. we would like to give credit to Mr. Wolz.. uhh.. Mr. Wolzz.. Mr. Wolzczka.. Aww. screw it.
Please, "African American little person with a weight problem" is a little more appropriate and a lot less offensive, don't you think? Sheesh.
Go figure.
Logic, macros, and more
A small gathering of Mini Coopers around a campfire in europe... Or something...
-ubuntu others as you would have others ubuntu you.
"who still don't have a basic definition for the word planet or a firm idea of what separates planets from stars."
One is on fire and one isn't.
Now hand over my research grant.
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"Carbon based like our world or silicone based."
Wow, so that explains the fact that virtually all female aliens, whether carbon or, er, silicone-based have large, prominent chest-bumps...
In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
Acutally there are only two forms of life possible.
According to whom?
The only life we can be certain of is our own. Even then I sometimes wonder if I really exist. I guess I must because I am posting this, or am I?
Hence forth, all space boddies will be known as "thingies".
A planet that's on fire.
Duh.
My God, man! An oompa loompa!
ME: Hey professor! What separates planets from stars?
PROFESSOR: Space. Or about 2,500 to 50,000 Kelvin.
ME: Thanks professor!
"Do you say "If there was ever a single Dt-Dt reaction, it's a star", or do we require continuous reactions?"
*Tap Tap* I think my babel fish is getting old.
"Derp de derp."
Insightful?!? As soon as I acquire transportation to a planet with a flammable atmosphere, we'll see what shines.
My teamleader thinks he's a star, and he often emits huge gas clouds. My boss, on the other hand, is a friggin' planet, and she drives a Galaxy because it's the only thing she fits in. Back to the drawing board with those definitions, boys.
planet n.
Big lump of stuff, roundish, spinning a bit, usually orbiting a, um, star thingy. Might have aliens on, but probably not. Probably.
Astronomers indeed have a very good idea what is a star and what is a planet! =) We might brag about if Pluto is a planet or not, but there's just no dispute whether something that burns nuclear fuel is a star or a giant planet set on fire by some neanderthals in a dense wood, or some President with a finger on the button... And if it orbits around bigger body while being cold, there's a fat chance it is not a star. Unless there's Holywood sign on some hill. Or it might harbour semi-intelligent life that belives everything revolves around them, but in that case we're talking law of relativity, and it doesn't have much to do with intelligence, for nature laws are quite happy even if they're not discovered by self-proclaimed intelligent life forms. :)
I am Blong, of the Quaz nebula. By using my name without permission you have violated galactic copysnark law. Your puny planet will be destrobulated in 65 metrons.