Pix o’ XO Planets

13 Responses to Pix o’ XO Planets

1. davidcapeguy says:

   November 14, 2008 at 4:46 am

   The progress in this field in the past 30 years or so is amazing. Back then, you could still find serious astronomers maintaining that planets were likely quite rare and that our solar system was an anomaly. Now, planets seem to be thick as fleas everyplace they’re looked for.

   Arguing from analogy like this is risky, but I suspect that the serious search for life elsewhere is going to take the same path. We still have serious scientists claiming life is rare and possibly unique to Earth. In another generation, we’ll probably have solid evidence of life on a hundred extra-solar worlds. Not necessarily intelligent life, though that would be stupendous, but rock-solid evidence of worlds with oxygen atmospheres (which I believe would constitute a high probability of life), chlorophyll showing up in a planet’s spectrum, that kind of thing. I’m guessing that our outside-the-atmosphere observatories aren’t as far from the ability to detect that sort of thing as we amateurs know.

   Of course, we still might get Michael Rennie (or even Keanu Reeves) showing up in person with Gort, too.
   • JE says:

     November 14, 2008 at 4:02 pm

     Right!

     One worrying thing about the systems we’ve seen is how unlike the solar system they are–a lot of “hot Jupiters” which would seem to preclude an earthlike planet in the habitable zone. But that is probably just a function of the stuff we can see with available tech.
2. swords_and_pens says:

   November 14, 2008 at 6:48 am

   If you look real close, you can see a Starbuck’s on one…. 🙂
   • JE says:

     November 14, 2008 at 4:02 pm

     As long as it’s got WiFi…
3. peadarog says:

   November 14, 2008 at 9:51 am

   Very cool!
   • JE says:

     November 14, 2008 at 4:04 pm

     I was pretty startled–but it was only a matter of time with all the indirect discoveries they’ve made, I guess.
     • peadarog says:

       November 14, 2008 at 4:46 pm

       Yeah, but it’s different when you get to put your fingers in the wounds, so to speak…
       • JE says:

         November 15, 2008 at 7:43 pm

         Yes indeed. In fact, Thomas and Judas are the only apostles I really understand emotionally. (Which probably indicates some trouble for me in the afterlife.)
         • peadarog says:

           November 15, 2008 at 7:45 pm

           Yes, I think you’re done for. You’ll see me there. I’ll be the one holding the fork.
         • Anonymous says:

           November 15, 2008 at 10:19 pm

           /holds up lightning rod and scoots away from James.
         • JE says:

           November 17, 2008 at 5:34 am

           Well, Thomas ended up okay… at least, as martyrs go. (I don’t think I’d make a good martyr, though–too ticklish.)
4. newguydave says:

   November 16, 2008 at 11:43 pm

   I think the one pic looks “as parasites might, in your blood” -Special thanks to Nautical Disaster by The Tragically Hip for that quote.

   It’s amazing how much really, really freakin’ huge stuff, looks like small stuff. Colleen Lindsay, at the Swivet, posted an interesting link today that brought me back to LJ. Apparently somebody’s ebook cover shows a nebula or something that looks like a giant space vagina.

   http://14theditch.livejournal.com/219392.html?view=1993216&style=mine#t1993216

   (If this is inappropriate, feel free to delete.)
   • JE says:

     November 17, 2008 at 5:37 am

     I suppose space titans have to come from somewhere–why not space vaginas?

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