Slashdot Mirror
Exomoon Detection Technique Could Greatly Expand Potential Habitable Systems
Luminary Crush (109477) writes Most of the detected exoplanets thus far have been gas giants which aren't great candidates for life as we know it. However, many of those planets are in fact in the star's habitable zone and could have moons with conditions more favorable. Until now, methods to detect the moons of such gas giants have been elusive, but researchers at the University of Texas, Arlington have discovered a way to detect the interaction of a moon's ionosphere with the parent gas giant from studies of Jupiter's moon Io. The search for 'Pandora' has begun.
We need telescopes, on and around earth. lots of them. Kepler has only scanned a small region of the sky.
We need cloning bays, and extremely hardened ships. Don't send a person, send a blueprint and some way to raise and teach a first generation. We don't have to get there ourselves as long as our "children" can.
OK, so we build a ship that can take us anywhere in a reasonable amount of time. Then what? What's the point without a destination?
Right now, our technical ability allows us to detect planets that may be capable of harboring life. Why don't we go ahead and do what we can do rather than sulking over the fact that we can't do more? Once the day comes when we can actually go there, we'll do that. Until then, let's do what we can, which is detection.
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
It's also worth noting that even ignoring the hard radiation concerns, we as a species have had a really hard time simply leaving our Solar System, let alone considering the undertaking that would be involved with reaching a planet in another System, with living, breathing humans! The emphasis on putting more Kepler class satellites in orbit before we're willing to as a species commit to designing a launch vehicle that would allow us to return a human to the surface of the Moon, let alone commit to long term habitation there, then there isn't much point considering the billions of dollars of effort required today on the intellectual jerk-off session of "are there 4,781 habitable exoplanets or 3,781,574 habitable exoplanets *AND* exomoons?" Getting us as a species back to the moon, let alone another planet in our Solar System is a requirement before we consider the several orders of magnitude differences in engineering effort, understanding, skill and expertise of getting a person to another star system. And once we start to tackle those sorts of problems, the problems like getting a more complete view of the night sky, or better satellites with more up-to-date satellites solves itself.
Thirty four characters live here.
Why is it so important to go there? When we find a planet or a moon with habitable conditions and signs of life (like free oxygen in the atmosphere) there's a LOT to study, just spend enough money on space-based telescopes. And at some point we may be curious enough then to put real effort into going there.
That point is that we will NEVER do that without a destination. Finding one is the first step and even without going it's worthwhile.
I can easily envisiion a situation where an entire moon is plunged into shadow as it orbits a gas giant. This would, I presume, cause temperatures to fall for the duration of the eclipse, and if it lasted too long, I can imagine that such a regular occurrence would likely make the moon inhospitable to life as we know it, even if it is the right distance from the sun to support liquid water, and even if it had an appropriate gravitational pull and atmosphere.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
But *I* want to go you insensitve clod!
From TFA:
Io’s ionosphere interacts with Jupiter’s magnetosphere, a layer of charged plasma that protects the planet from radiation, to create a frictional current that causes radio wave emissions.
Much like our magnetosphere on Earth protects us from radiation so too can that of a moon with an atmosphere and molten core. Mars doesn't have one and thus is hard-hit by solar radiation.
Your statement is accurate if you are talking about Earth's moon, but not correct in other cases.
I hear there's a planet called Earth that has 12 hours of darkness every day at the equator, and months of it at the poles! Clearly uninhabitable.
This space intentionally left blank