Hello Out There……..????

April 22, 2014 at 7:45 PM (astronomy topics, curious research, current news, extraterrestrial studies, science and technology, web gossip)

It’s been a minute! The blog thing has not exactly been the top of the list of activities. Yet, there is always so much of interest that deserves discussion, review; someone needs to put it out there for conversational spark! This one recent topic of interest certainly should get motors revving….

Located some 490 light years away from our beloved Mother Earth exists the world that we have dubbed as Kepler 186f! As is what is with the norm with N.A.S.A. scientists and collective cohorts, the search for extra-solar planets and alien life progresses. It seems that a recent burst of luck has fallen upon the researchers, as the discovery of this distant planet is rousing levels of excitement about the possibilities of a world with similarities of life-harboring capacities nearly equivalent to that of our precious Earth!

Kepler 186f is being called “Earth’s cousin”! The planet is a mere ten percent larger than our world. It is seemingly special because it just might be able to hold liquid water upon it’s surface. The world exists in The Goldilocks Zone from it’s host star, Kepler 186 (where things are not too hot and not too cold…). This makes the planet extra-exclusive because of the premise that the water just might actually be there! Where there is water, there likely is bound to be life!

We as a species have been wondering since the dawn of our existence as to whether or not we are alone in this universe! One of the first steps to answering that question likely will be locating another world in the universe that will be capable of sustaining a manner of life as we would understand it. If indeed Kepler 186f is that world, then a great barrier has been breached!

Indeed, being 490 light years away from us, we are NOT going to get there! We can send our probes to study this planet for further generations to have details about it. Hopefully, our successors will have survived us, our Earth will still be in tact, and they can send probes, even people to explore this world! Dare I suggest the topic of extra-solar exploration, colonization (after we have colonized Mars, Europa, and areas of the outer solar system….)?

Of course, all of this will take years of additional study, planning, financial contribution, political hullabaloo, et cetera. However, the ultimate goal should be the acknowledgement of the recognition about the existence of other worlds in this universe that do host life! We can hopefully, finally, get to a fact that Earth is NOT alone!