what is this? ph1600: introductory astronomy lecture 24: life: are we alone?

What is this?

PH1600: Introductory AstronomyLecture 24: Life: Are We Alone?

PH1600: Introductory AstronomyLecture 24: Life: Are We Alone?

Next Lecture: UFOs and Pseudoscience

School: Michigan Technological University

Professor: Robert Nemiroff

Online Course WebCT pages:

http://courses.mtu.edu/

This class can be taken online ONLY, class attendance is not required!

You are responsible for… Lecture material

Listed wikipedia entries But not higher math

APODs posted during the semester APOD review every week during lecture

Completing the Quizzes Homework quizzes 1 - 11. HW 12 due later today (Mon) by 5 pm Final Exam released Wed at 4 pm, due next

Wed at 5 pm.

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Wikipedia entries:

Drake equation SETI Fermi paradox Extrasolar planet

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The Drake Equation: N = R* x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x L

N is the number of civilizations in our Galaxies that are contactable

R* is the rate of star formation fp is the fraction of stars that have planets ne is the number of habitable planets per above

star fl is the fraction of above planets that develop life fi is the fraction of above life planets that develop

intelligent life fc is the fraction of intelligent life planets that are

contactable L is the expected lifespan of such a intelligent life

civilization

The Drake Equation

Possible plausible values: R*=10 stars/year; fp=0.5; ne=2 fl=1; fi=0.01; fc=0.01; L=10,000 years

Then N~10 Where are they: Fermi Paradox

Life in Our Solar System

Mars Ancient or modern

Jupiter’s Moon Europa Underground seas Frozen fish in orbit?

Saturn’s Moon Titan Hydrocarbon seas, rain

Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Underground seas

Anywhere else? Cloudtops of Jupiter?

Water Ice in a Martian CraterCredit: G. Neukum (FU Berlin) et al., Mars Express, DLR, ESA;Image created for and Copyright: Nature APOD: 2005 July 20

Unusual Plates on MarsCredit: G. Neukum (FU Berlin) et al., Mars Express, DLR, ESA APOD: 2005 February 28

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Phoenix and the Snow Queen Credit: Kenneth Kremer, Marco Di Lorenzo, Phoenix Mission, NASA, JPL, UA, Max Planck Inst., Aviation Week and Space TechnologyAPOD: 2008 June 12

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Radar Indicates Buried Glaciers on Mars Data Reconstruction Credit : NASA/JPL-Caltech/UTA/UA/MSSS/ESA/DLR/JPL Solar System Visualization ProjectAPOD: 2008 November 24

Light Deposits Indicate Water Flowing on MarsCredit: Mars Global Surveyor APOD: 2006 December 12

Pictured: An Ancient Martian?Credit: D. McKay (NASA /JSC), et al., NASA APOD: 1997 August 16

Early Microscopic Life on Mars?Credit: courtesy NASAAPOD: 1996 August 7

Tantalizing TitanCredit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA

APOD: 2004 October 28

Methane Rain Possible on TitanIllustration Credit & Copyright: Mark Garlick (Space-art.co.uk)APOD: 2006 August 2

Liquid Lakes on Saturn's TitanCredit: Cassini Radar Mapper, JPL, ESA, NASA APOD: 2007 February 7

Enceladus and the Search for WaterCredit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA APOD: 2006 March 10

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Cassini Passes Through Ice Plumes of Enceladus Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASAAPOD: 2008 October 13

Fountains Discovered on Saturn's EnceladusCredit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA APOD: 2005 December 5

Enceladus Ice V

olcanosIllustration C

redit & C

opyright: Michael C

arroll A

PO

D: 2006 June 8

The Very Large Array of Radio TelescopesCredit: Dave Finley, AUI, NRAO, NSF APOD: 2006 May 14

A Big Dish at the VLA Radio ObservatoryCredit & Copyright: Victor Bobbett APOD: 2006 November 29

Arecibo: The Largest TelescopeCredit: NAIC, Cornell U., NSF APOD: 1998 November 29

Radio, The Big Ear, And The Wow! SignalCredit and Copyright: Rick Scott

APOD: 1998 September 17

How to Search for AliensCredit: SETI@home, UC Berkeley SETI Team

APOD: 1999 May 17

An Anomalous SETI SignalCredit & Copyright: SETI League 2004 March 7

The V

oyagers' Message in a B

ottleC

redit: Voyager P

roject, JPL, N

AS

A

AP

OD

: 2002 August 31

A Message From EarthCredit: Frank Drake (UCSC) et al., Arecibo Observatory (Cornell, NAIC)

2005 March 13

A C

osmic C

all to Nearby S

tarsC

redit & C

opyright: Yuvan D

util & S

tephane Dum

as 2006 A

pril 2

M13: The Great Globular Cluster in HerculesCredit & Copyright: Eddie Guscott APOD: 2004 May 11

The Lost World of Lake VidaCredit & Copyright: Thomas Nylen et al., NASA, NSF APOD: 2004 April 4

D. rad Bacteria: Candidate AstronautsCredit: Michael Daly (USUHS), DOE APOD: 2006 January 22

Searching for Meteorites in AntarcticaCredit & Copyright: Ralph P. Harvey (CWRU), Antarctic Search for Meteorites Program, NASA, NSF APOD: 2002 December 26

A Meteorite From MarsCredit: JSC, NASAAPOD: 1996 August 17

55 Cancri: Familiar Planet DiscoveredIllustration Credit & Copyright: Lynette Cook

APOD: 2002 June 14

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A Dangerous Sunrise on Gliese 876d Illustration Credit & Copyright: Inga Nielsen (Hamburg Obs., Gate to Nowhere)APOD: 2008 May 21

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HR 8799: Discovery of a Multi-planet Star System Credit: C. Marois et al., NRC CanadaAPOD: 2008 November 17

Water Claimed in Evaporating Planet HD 209458bIllustration Credit: ESA, A. Vidal-Madjar (IAP, CNRS), NASA APOD: 2007 April 17

Pictured: An Ancient Martian?Credit: D. McKay (NASA /JSC), et al., NASA APOD: 1997 August 16