Nearest Exoplanet to Earth

We are living in an unprecedented time in human history because only in the last couple of decades has it become possible to study planets outside of our solar system. Considering that only a millennium or so ago even the concept of a world beyond our solar system did not exist in the human consciousness, the ability to peer into these other worlds is truly remarkable. Of the currently known exoplanets, fast approaching 1000 in number, what is the closest one to Earth? What is it like? How long would it take for a spacecraft to get there? How long would it take for a radio signal sent by a hypothetical life-form from that planet to reach us?

As it happens, the exoplanet that is the nearest to Earth and our solar system has held the record since the year 2000. Unfortunately it has a rather clinical name, eps Eridani b. The planet has a mass of approximately 1.5 times that of Jupiter (or nearly 500 times the mass of Earth), although there is a large margin of error on this. Even though there is no information on the size of the planet, it is not likely to be Earthlike because the lower bound on its mass is still more than 300 times that of Earth. Such a massive planet that is more like the size of Earth has not been found so far.

The nearest exoplanet to Earth, eps Eridani b, is at a distance of 10.44 light years, which is more than 60,000 billion miles (nearly 100,000 billion kilometers). It would take light 10.44 years to travel between the exoplanet and Earth. At speeds that are currently achievable, say 20,000 miles per hour (about 32,000 km per hour), the travel time is 350,000 years. This may seem depressing, but considering that the nearest star to Earth (Proxima Centauri) is at a distance of 4.2 light years from Earth, we are lucky to have found an exoplanet so close (no planets have been found around Proxima Centauri). Clearly we are not likely to witness human space travel to our nearest neighbor exoplanet in our lifetimes. Will it be possible in the near-term future, within hundreds of human generations, say? Although it is impossible to predict, contemplate the achievements of the human intellect and spirit: it has hardly been more than a century since humans first made powered flying machines, and in just half a century humans have walked on the moon, and sent probes beyond the solar system, with another one on its way to Pluto right now.

So, does our nearest exoplanet neighbor support life, or even perhaps the seeds of life? So far it has not been possible to detect molecular signatures from the planet and it is not possible to directly image the planet (the latter is true for the majority of exoplanets). SETI-type activities naturally pay special attention to worlds that are closest to us, but nothing definitive has turned up from radio-signal searches of extraterrestrial intelligence in any system. On the other hand, the possibility of eps Eridani b supporting seeds of life has not been ruled out.

Finally, it's worth mentioning that a second planet in the eps Eridani system has been suspected for years but definitive proof remains elusive because the signals that have provided tentative evidence are complex, carrying many ambiguities that have to be disentangled. Such disentanglement often does not lead to a unique and definitive interpretation of the data but future improvements in instrumentation might give less ambiguous results.

Home Observatory - Points Need To Be Noted

Every man's dream is to go to space and most cannot afford to do so, one easy way is to get immersed in the world of stars and infinite space by being a star-gazer. Hours and hours can be spent just to watch the bright and not so bright objects in the night sky. The best way to start if one is not studying the subject is to have a personal home observatory at the backyard itself or at least somewhere reachable. Building a home observatory is not a difficult task especially now when it is possible to buy ready-made domes. On the other hand there are lots of people out there who prefer to make the home observatory from scratch. There are lots of mistakes that can take place while building a home observatory and it is essential to be aware of these points before going ahead with the project.

Detailing

It is essential to sit and write all the details for building the home observatory. There are major parts and lots of minor details that need to be considered.

Choice of Location

One essential starting point while planning to build a home observatory is the location. It would be preferable if the location is suburban or rural as this would reduce the amount of diffuse light. The black sky is required to ensure the capturing of even faint details of the objects in the sky, diffuse light reduces the contrast. One can also use specific protection against diffuse light if the location cannot be changed.

Choice of Material

Home Observatories should be made of materials that absorb less heat. If the material absorbs heat during the day then the chances are that the heat will be radiated in the night reducing the chance of viewing planets and double stars. Material like concrete blocks, bricks, close by walkways and parking lots need to be avoided. The best are wooden structures.

Budget

It is preferable to have a complete extensive research of the material and equipment cost and in some cases labor cost also if one cannot do all the manual work. The budget should be managed to the tightest extent, though there are chances of surprise costs like building permits, fencing, electrical supplies and many more. Always keep a higher range in the budget this will help in preventing overshooting than planned.

Unwanted Visitation

Imagine a wooden structure in a field; be sure that there would not be enough number of insects and animal visiting it during the day and night. The home observatory is an ideal place for the birds, wasps, rats and even snakes to thrive. Be careful and make sure pest control is done frequently.

Zone Regulations

There are places where these observatories cannot be built, as per the law. Make sure to check with the local authorities and get the required permissions. It is best done at the earliest to prevent the dismantling of the observatory later.

Future Planning

If astronomy is a serious hobby then plan and build with enough space to buy more equipment and more complex telescopes.

Power Points

Ensure to have more number of power points in the home observatory, one never knows what needs to be plugged in the future. All these points can be considered and the mistakes have to be prevented while building a home observatory for now and the future.

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What an Amateur Astronomer Needs

Astronomers have to rely on their eyes and brain to do their work. These are basically the only tools that ancient astronomers used in identifying constellations and other heavenly bodies. With the availability of advanced technology used in making telescopes and onboard computers, you still cannot make do without your eyes and mind. Tools are just meant to enhance and aid the workings of your eyes and brain such as the telescope is for your eyes and the computer is for your brain's aid. Nothing beats yourself as the human using these tools.

Watching and Analyzing

Astronomy work is only half watching with the use of your telescope. Kids may devote more time just stargazing but if you are past that stage, you need to let your brain do its work. Once you have seen something, it still needs some analysis. This part is necessary when it comes to comparing the heavenly body that you have seen with what other astronomers might have seen now or in the past. With the use of improved technology, telescopes with an onboard computer that can determine discovered coordinates. Just remember that you have an entire universe offering you unlimited opportunities for discoveries.

But as a young kid aspiring to be a real astronomer someday, you have to rely on your parents' choice of telescope, which is usually the cheapest kind in the market. It would take sometime before you would likely need a more powerful astronomy telescope and the capacity to check and recheck before you can finally say that you have a new discovery. But the easy availability of powerful tools, amateur astronomers have done their share of new finds. They have also used their best asset - their minds - in analyzing these finds.

Cost of Telescopes

Children are into stargazing without taking notice of the price of the telescope that their parents would give them. The only important thing for you then was that you have a tool that would allow you to see the stars. Even if you know about having the lowest prices tool, they would easily throw reasons such as how you, as a kid, would easily get over things that you are fascinated about. They would even bring up how your bike or skateboard is already getting dust in the attic. Another common reason is that they want to help you a cheap telescope that requires you to do more so you can learn more.

However, buying a cheap telescope is just about saving money for your parents. As you grow up still loving astronomy, you would need more advanced telescopes, such as a handheld type that often costs around $200. You can read astronomy telescope reviews to find more telescopes that you can afford. With more features, expect an increase in their price too.

A Telescope's Computer

While the computer is often compared to the human mind, the latter is always more powerful. NASA's call for help to amateur astronomers in identifying asteroids coming towards Earth's way is a strong proof of this. Even if they have a powerful visual recognition application in their Osiris program, they are still lacking in confidence for the software. The human eyes are still the best tools that can identify a small asteroid as a threat or not to the planet.

The Value of Your Human Facilities

Telescopes and computers are just tools though efficient ones. But in the end, you still need to work yourself and use your eyes, brain and tools together to be a good astronomer.

Natal Birth Chart Vs The Ultimate Birthchart System

Whatever your reason for using headlights on a dark road is the same exact reason to always use your Personal Time-Map. Your Personal Time-Map gives you the power where you'll never need a psychic or astrologer ever again.

The main reason is it's a total 'do it yourself' system. This means you can have a personal reading 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without needing anyone else. There's an exclusive feature in the Time-Map system that lets you locate and identify the people who surround you right now by simply their entering their birthday. Then your computer does all of the work for you. This same exclusive feature also provides you with the ability to SEE YOURSELF from anybody else's point of view. This is why there's nothing or no one else that can match or surpass the illuminating power, truthfulness and supreme accuracy you will get from this breakthrough system.

A map of your city or town shows where you are but wherever you are there is always the time you are there. Where you are is a map of your city or town, but when you are is what your Personal Time-Map provides. Neither map (time or space) predicts the direction you will take but both maps show you what to expect as a result of any direction you choose before you choose it.

How does it work?

The Time-Map system works by integrating your date of birth with Universal laws governing our existence. Since it's purely mathematical, there are absolutely no beliefs required because it is universally verifiable, super accurate and mathematically exact. People who use the system say that it will illuminate your life in a way that puts you at a superior advantage in your situation or circumstance.

This revolutionary type of Birth chart shows when and how things will change in your life. It identifies and locates all of the people who surround you right now (past or future). This way, you can see in advance what to expect and decide which way to go or choose your best direction. This same exclusive feature that lets you locate and identify people also means that you can locate yourself on anybody else's Time-Map and see yourself from their point of view. There are no psychics, birth charts, psychic readings, astrological systems or astrologers that can do or match this. This scientific system provides instant illuminating power that removes darkness surrounding your situation or circumstance.

Your life is the result of the choices you make and directions you take.

The Time-Map System is superior to any natal birth chart, astrologer or psychic reading because it covers a full year, has 2 simple instructions and is so easy to use that children as young as 8 years old can show you how to use it.

The time has come for the truth to be revealed to all of the truth seekers of the world. There has never been a better time to be alive than now. Fortunately, we now have within our reach the tools that make it so much easier to manuever and navigate more successfully through the constant changes of our living experience.

Moving to Mars?

Is creating a livable habitat on Mars and eventually terraforming (i.e. creating an Earth like atmosphere) it possible? As progress is made in the field of science and aerospace engineering the answer that emerges is a "maybe yes". But why would we want to inhabit Mars? Is Earth not good enough? With a rising population, there are currently 7 billion of us on this planet; chances are we will eventually run out-of-place to accommodate us all. Added to that is the chance of a planetary disaster which advocates the need to look for an alternate home.

Mars at present is a barren, desolate planet, with no signs of visible water or even a magnetic field to protect from solar activity. Then why is it our best bet for a second home for mankind? Though water is not visible on the planet, chances are it might be trapped in the polar ice caps, both carbon and oxygen is present in the form of carbon dioxide, nitrogen is also present. Thus all the elements needed to sustain life are present on Mars though the composition by percentage of each is much different from on earth. Still, Mars as we see today might resemble Earth as it did billions of years ago, right up until photosynthetic bacteria developed.

The habitation of Mars can be done in two ways. For smaller populations man-made systems can be built so as to sustain life within and protect from the harsh atmosphere of the planet. For this purpose structures, such as domes, can be built on the surface, or habitats created within canyon walls, or even in lava tubes (hollowed out spaces under the surface, which were once passages for lava flow). The last two options have the advantage of using the terrain to provide protection from radiations and other harmful space elements.

Another idea is the terraforming of Mars, which would be huge task and could take thousands of years, even millenniums. Several ideas have been proposed as to how this can be done. These include; the construction of large orbital mirrors to heat the planet, building greenhouse factories or crash ammonia rich asteroids in to the planet to raise greenhouse gas levels. All of these ideas are extreme and still require further research and innovation.

The dream of living on Mars might not be a possibility for this generation or even the next but it is no longer the far-fetched idea it once seemed to be.

Putting a Mind Into An Exoskeleton And Sexual Nerve Ending Connection Issues

The other day, I was discussing with an acquaintance overseas the challenges of uploading a brain into an exoskeleton for long-term spaceflight. This may be necessary because human flesh and bones will not do too well with space radiation omnipresent. The human eyes will not be able to handle it, and there will be bone density loss, and eventually things just won't work out, we should expect their life expectancy, that is for long-term space travelers, to be severely limited if we use the current human form for our space travelers and explorers. Okay so let's talk about this controversial subject for second shall we?

My acquaintance mentioned the challenges of taking a human brain putting it into some sort of an enclosure, and hooking up the nerve endings to various robotic parts. If the brain was kept supplied with nutrients and oxygen, it could perhaps outlive the average human body, as everything would be regulated in exactly the appropriate amounts for longevity. However, he also noted that there is an issue with phantom pains, and we know this from amputees, as when they are missing a limb, they feel pain even though that limb isn't there.

Now then, imagine the challenges with all the nerve endings in the sexual organs of the human body. There are more nerve endings there than anywhere else, and this could torment the brain which is now out of the body, and therefore perhaps there needs to be some sort of connection to those nerve endings to provide a pleasurable response for the brain. The chemicals released from sexual stimulation are significant in the brain, and a human that has lived most of their life within a human body, now transferred into an exoskeleton will have challenges adapting for this reason.

Further, a human that has lived their entire life in human body has probably come to enjoy the pleasures of sex, and certainly wouldn't want to give up those activities. Therefore there needs to be a way to stimulate that part of the brain stimulating the chemical release involved in sexual activity via those nerve endings. It is my belief, after interviewing a few people on this issue, that there will be fewer volunteers for long-term spaceflight who'd be willing to surrender their human body until we solve this issue.

Although this is not a typical research topic for long-term spaceflight at NASA, it is something that we will eventually need to consider for obvious reasons. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.