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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.
4
Wikipedia entries:
Drake equation SETI Fermi paradox Extrasolar planet
4
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
1010
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
1111
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
1919
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
3737
A Dangerous Sunrise on Gliese 876d Illustration Credit & Copyright: Inga Nielsen (Hamburg Obs., Gate to Nowhere)APOD: 2008 May 21
3838
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
