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Exoplanet Candidates Revealed
An anonymous reader writes "Last summer, NASA announced that the Kepler space telescope had identified more than 700 exoplanet 'candidates' from the first few months of observations in 2009. Only 312 of the candidates were initially made public, while 400 others (click the green search button) were sequestered until February 2011. The team is soon expected to announce that a large number of these candidates have been confirmed as exoplanets. A non-profit organization in Boulder, Colorado supports scientific research on the Kepler data through $10 adopt-a-star donations. The price is $100 for confirmed exoplanets, so hurry while these 700+ stars are still 'candidates'!"
How do I get one of these named after me?
Sig: I stole this sig.
Let's say I buy an exoplanet for 100$... then what? In 500+ years when space travel becomes commonplace will my descendants be able to claim mineral rights on this exoplanet?
~Syberz
Some captain will be looking at their navigation interface and there will be an option for star system naming convention and it will read
Emperor Ming will be pleased.
When the data is made public, I'll be setting a competing naming registry. Be sure to send me your $100, you'll get naming rights for the exoplanet of your choice!
The major party planets should each get a slot and the third-party planets can hustle for signatures to get on.
And outright candidate buying may fly in Chicago, but will run afoul on the planetary federation in other jurisdictions.
1. What do you consider as your greatest strength as a would be exoplanet?
2. What was your biggest mistake? I mean, have you ever orbited the wrong way, or destroyed your own satellite?
3. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Houston, all systems are go for the launch to planet 1-800-ASK-GARY.
http://www.associatepublisher.com/e/l/li/list_of_planets_in_futurama.htm
Though I thought there was one that the professor got the crew to go to that was named something like "Death Planet of the Doom Cluster" or something like that.
Just think in 1000 years, some guy looking at Google SpaceMap will see a reference for something like that... "Er... set a course for Planet Death, er in the Doom Cluster?"
Sulu: "Are you frickin' kidding me?"
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/multimedia/images/kepler10_1.html Has gotta be the NASA version of photoshop On the other hand, for all the gazillions of dollars going into this project, they seem to have outsourced web design and layout to some undergrads, so maybe the same people did the image
Sort of a questionable initial post here - no new candidates were actually revealed today, or anytime recently. However you can avail yourself of the raw lightcurves in bulk, and declare your own candidates, if you want to. So just go for it, if you have the time -
So I can pass this on through generations of my family until the United Continents of Earth start taking over planets and then my family get fat paid? That might not be a bad investment for $100
The world is how you make it
If I then get the mining rights for the entire star system, and can pass it to my decedents, I'm in!
Can we set one up for something more prosaic, like life extension research??
Doc says I need to lose a little weight. I say, "What's wrong with rotund gaseous bodies in circular motion? Look at Uranus!"
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
I don't think this will work for naming a planet.
Minnie was fucking Goofy, but it was Pluto who got the planet name, and now it's not even a planet anymore.
Anyone notice that Stephen Colbert has apparently already adopted an exoplanet-bearing star? Perhaps its the future site of the Colbert Nation. http://whitedwarf.org/palebluedot/planets.html
...When they were scrabbling to find exoplanets one at a time?
I'll say it again: we live in interesting times.
do i hear 89.99?