My god, it's full of stars!

[Rob_B]

http://djer.roe.ac.uk/vsa/vvv/iipmoo...a/vvvgps5.html

Not even the slightest chance that circling one of those stars, in this incomplete portion of just our own galaxy has even the most basic of lifeforms living on it? I wouldn't take those odds


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17539315

[kalniel]

Not even the slightest chance that circling one of those stars, in this incomplete portion of just our own galaxy has even the most basic of lifeforms living on it? I wouldn't take those odds

In what time frame?

[Rob_B]

By next Tuesday ok for you?

[bledd]

By next Tuesday ok for you?

brb...

[Andy3536]

Amazing picture.


But who's the scientist that sneezed on the lense?

[g8ina]

Seen this b4 but always stunning

edit - just realised *this* one has only just been released, so I must have seen an earlier version of something v similar

[Phage]

Bound to be something somewhere.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17532470

[Bunjiweb]

Amazing picture.


But who's the scientist that sneezed on the lense?

It's the triple death star?!!?

[kalniel]

Bound to be something somewhere.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17532470

But not a particular somewhen...

What portion of the Earth's existence has it contained life?

Does life on another planet matter if any information about it won't reach us in the same time frame that lift exists on Earth?

[Phage]

Well, <draws breath through teeth> we can assume at least 2nd generation stars in order to develop complex chemistry probable for life. So the chances of another life form being contemporaneous with us is reasonably high if we assume the Universe is 13bn years old and the Earth is already 4bn years old, which makes it a material fraction of the age of the universe. Given the billions of earthlike planets theorised, the odds are quite reasonable (too lazy to do the maths !)

(BTW: I'm ignoring the Douglas Adams probablitlies of an infinite universe, which would make it a near-as-dammit certainity.)

Does it matter ? I don't know, but there is certainly a possibility that information has a FTL capability. Now that would be interesting !
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/0808...2008.1038.html
What I do get is a sense of wonder looking at such pictures and imagining the life that is in all probability sharing the same wash of photons from the sky.

EDIT: I would like to apologise for any unintentional poetic musings, in advance...

[peterb]

EDIT: I would like to apologise for any unintentional poetic musings, in advance...

<pedant mode> but you apologised at the end, not in advance </pedant>

But it does bring out poetic musings, so no apology needed!

But yes, the number of earthlike planets, or planets capable of generating and supporting life of some sort (assuming it is carbon based - not unreasonable) is just too large to imagine, so the odds of there being life elsewhere must be greater than the odds of there not being life - if you see what I mean.

[melon]

Well, <draws breath through teeth> we can assume at least 2nd generation stars in order to develop complex chemistry probable for life. So the chances of another life form being contemporaneous with us is reasonably high if we assume the Universe is 13bn years old and the Earth is already 4bn years old, which makes it a material fraction of the age of the universe. Given the billions of earthlike planets theorised, the odds are quite reasonable (too lazy to do the maths !)

(BTW: I'm ignoring the Douglas Adams probablitlies of an infinite universe, which would make it a near-as-dammit certainity.)

Does it matter ? I don't know, but there is certainly a possibility that information has a FTL capability. Now that would be interesting !
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/0808...2008.1038.html
What I do get is a sense of wonder looking at such pictures and imagining the life that is in all probability sharing the same wash of photons from the sky.

EDIT: I would like to apologise for any unintentional poetic musings, in advance...

I wonder if the feeling is mutual though ?

m