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A new Earth: 10 NASA images of planets like Earth
10 NASA images of planets like Earth
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NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech
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Cool!
Feb 19 2013 at 5:06 PM
It's exciting to think that there might be other lifeforms like us out there. It gets you wondering if they are more or less advanced then us or if they made similar mistakes to us. They probably would have a lot to teach us about the universe, they might even know of other planets with life out there!
wicked
Dec 03 2012 at 1:25 AM
atom or cosmos, human or slug, whatever.. the experience is much the same for all, god or no god..
romy
Aug 04 2012 at 10:29 AM
FROM DUST THY CAME AND UNTO DUST THY WILL RETURN AND SO WITH EVERYTHING CREATED. THERE IS NOT ANY ONE PROOF UP TO NOW THAT THERE ONE THING THAT HAVE OVERCOME THE END OF TIME IS THERE?
romy
Aug 04 2012 at 10:22 AM
i belive that every 1 billion years the human race changes we will go somehow and life begins again ha ha this the truth wheather you accept it or not liki the stars that come and go and so with other created things everything got its end and again evolve this is how the universe is made
JaiGuru
Oct 01 2012 at 8:09 AM
Humanity has only existed like 100 thousand years. Why not go to school instead?
s.selavan
Jul 26 2012 at 8:08 PM
if there are any highly developed civilizations outside the planet Earth,why so far, and despite the technology invested, not even a single radio communication,or any similar type of intelligent communication, like television,telephony, television etc.was found?!
Guest
Jul 29 2012 at 11:03 PM
It would be difficult to try to communicate with people using different receivers than our planet. If there is life out there they may be at a further stage in their evolution, or not even at our stage. They too may not yet have solved inter world/ solar system/galaxy travel. There is enough evidence on this earth to back up the idea that we have been visited in the not too distant past by other intelligentces, far superior to our own.
william moore
Jul 20 2012 at 9:44 PM
Are there other intelligent beings in the Universe?
It is my contention that yes there are, there were, and there will be more in the future. We earthlings appeared on the galactic scene 5 billion years after the birth of our sun on a planet with liquid water and the right elements in place to allow life to begin.
I submit that the first intelligent life appeared in the universe 5 billion years after the Big Bang, 9 billion years ago. That life may be long extinct by now due to their sun dying,
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catastrophic self-destruction during their peak technological years, extermination by the machines they made, inability to colonize other star systems, etc.
so, this 5 billion year time span is an ongoing and continuing period of time for intelligent life to evolve in whatever solar systems in whatever galaxies which are conducive to allow such evolution.
There are billions of galaxies in the observable universe with billions of stars (suns) in each of those galaxies. I thiink that the universe is teeming with intelligent life at the present time and that new civilizations of intelligent beings will surely evolve in the future.
However, proof of my belief may not surface in my lifetime. The distances between us and other habitable planets with intelliugent life are just too great to expect any type of communication, even in our own galaxy.
We want to know for sure, but do we really want to make contact?
Guest
Jul 21 2012 at 7:37 AM
Brilliant. This IS the way of the universe, and of our own planet.
Life forms and happens in measurable cycles. And so it does also on a gigantic scale.
Gregg
Jul 21 2012 at 12:23 AM
Actually the first intelligent life would probably appear somewhat longer than 5 billion years after the formation of the Universe. The reason, is that the first stars would have been almost purely hydrogen and helium, with very few heavier elements to support a planetary system. Fortunately, the supernovae which enrich the universe with heavy elements would come from short-lived stars, so this might push things out to about 5.5 to 6 billion years. The problem, is it's likely that we're still
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in the very young days of the universe, and that the heyday of intelligent civilizations may not be fully realized for another few tens of billions of years.
Andrew
Jul 20 2012 at 6:25 PM
You've been living in the city too long. Get out and look at the stars once in a while.
BobInCal
Jul 20 2012 at 11:15 AM
In about 6 billion years, our sun will engulf Earth and incinerate every living thing. Let us hope that by then colonies of humans will be well established on other earth-like planets and the death of billions of people will be prevented. Now, let’s get cracking on some transport vehicles that can carry hundreds or thousands of people to these new homes.
Guest
Jul 20 2012 at 6:14 PM
Let's see. Nearest planet within the habitable zone found so far 20 light years away. Traveling at a 100 million miles per hour (167 thousand times faster than your Delta Airlines flight) it would take 134 years for you to get there. And then we send billions of people on this journey? Great idea.
Patrick
Jul 20 2012 at 8:00 PM
Frett not dude, after this planet has been totally trashed by the rich they will take off and move to a Nirvana type planet.
We on the other hand will be held back by security officers that will be willing to die for the rich and will have zero compunction about killing the likes of you and me so their masters can live.
I cannot tell you how happy I am to be part of a race that is willing to kill the poor so the rich may live and security officers so motivated to die so they can protect the rich
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aka their masters.
I must say it brings a tear of joy to mine eyes knowing there are such heros around and about us...
Guest
Jul 21 2012 at 7:47 AM
Ha... It does make you question the intellectual depth of some of the minds on this planet. When doing so I am usually disappointed .
Guest
Jul 21 2012 at 7:51 AM
You and I will never know the truth of that comment ... Only will our descendants.
Barry Red
Jul 20 2012 at 4:37 PM
The real issue is not the earth being swallowed up by the sun. In less than 100million years the sun will have warmed our planet up so much we will truly be a twin of Venus. Its called the "Runaway Greenhouse Effect" and is a very real issue... I love science.
thav
Jul 20 2012 at 2:15 PM
Multi-cellular life is expected to go extinct in "just" 800 million years: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_far_future#Future_of_the_Ea...
Guest
Jul 20 2012 at 2:08 PM
It's statistically improbable that the human species can last 6 billion years without wiping itself out.
Kevin in Denver
Jul 20 2012 at 1:53 PM
Very true Bob. And as we saw in the '70's classic movie, "Silent Running" we will likely have to take plants along that could survive (or even flourish) on our new "Earth." The best first step will be a deeper understanding of space-time and its capabilities which, hopefully, will provide a shortcut to reach our new home in a reasonable amount of time. The crafts themselves will likely be the easier part of the mission given the leaps and bounds we've made in just 50 years. What a wonderful adventure
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it will be assuming humankind doesn't destroy itself first, we don't get nailed by a modern-day Chicxulub event or a pandemic. No matter what all politicians must be excluded from the relocation so the emigres have a fighting chance of succeeding.
Jim
Jul 20 2012 at 10:13 AM
I have to say, I was disappointed with this article. The title promises "10 NASA images of planets like Earth" What it contains is 1 image of a planet like Earth (Kepler-22), and 9 images of planets distinctly UN-like earth.
Guest
Jul 20 2012 at 1:41 PM
Some day I think we will cure illness and old age. At that time, we will have to explore. We are already overpopulating the planet. Imagined if no one died.
Guest
Jul 19 2012 at 9:42 AM
I don't believe its about exploitation on everyone's part. For me its about exploration and discovery. Possibly contacting or discovering other life forms and learning more about our universe. I don't think that necessarily translates for everyone to exploiting those discoveries. I find the exploration of space fascinating!
edgar
Feb 02 2013 at 4:04 PM
If we are really that bad it strikes me that other more intelligent and more evolved beings might be waiting to ZAP us should we try to leave our solar system! After all, they probably practise VERMIN CONTROL as we do!!!
Guest
Jul 20 2012 at 3:47 PM
It's true, our universe is not eternal... but I'm not worried. While death and the decay of our universe is the direct result of sin. Jesus Christ, creator of all things, became a part of his creation and took our penalty on the cross which was a satisfactory payment accepted by God the father. If you receive Christ as your Savior, you will enjoy the new heaven and new earth which God will create where there will be no sin, no death or decay. No need to go to any other planet!
A new Earth
Is there anybody out there? Astronomers and dreamers have been asking this question since the dawn of humanity — and yet, the mystery remains. Are we the only life forms in the universe, or are neighbors like us lurking just beyond the reaches of our solar system? NASA has made it a mission to discover the truth. In March 2009, the space agency launched the Kepler Mission, a NASA Discovery program designed to look for possible life-supporting planets. In just the first 16 months of operation, Kepler has discovered 2,326 potential planets. Once confirmed by follow-up studies, these potential discoveries could significantly raise the tally of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) well over its current count of 702. Here are 10 images from NASA depicting these wild worlds.
Pictured here is an artist’s depiction of Kepler-22, which was the first exoplanet discovered by Kepler to orbit in a star’s habitable zone. This means that Kepler-22 may have liquid water on it like Earth, making it our closest possible sister planet. As NASA writes, “the planet is 2.4 times the size of Earth, making it the smallest yet found to orbit in the middle of the habitable zone of a star like our sun.” (Text: Katherine Butler)
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