Thursday, June 14, 2007

20 previously unknown star systems, when gas giants form and COSPAR

Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - The galactic neighborhood just got more crowded. Astronomers have found 20 previously unknown star systems that lie within 33 light-years of Earth. All the stars are faint, low-mass objects called red dwarfs, which rank among the most prevalent stars in the Milky Way. See article. Note: This article is from late 2006.
g Abodes - New research indicates that gas giants, like Jupiter and Saturn, form quickly after their stars do. In fact, they probably form within the first 10 million years of a star's life, or else they never form at all. See article.
g Life - Quote of the Day: "Is Life a random accident, or is the Universe in some way designed to produce it? In an infinite Universe...everything that can happen will happen, an infinite number of times" — Arthur C. Clarke
g Cosmicus - COSPAR - The Committee on Space Research - might be described as the United Nations of space research and collaboration. From Astrobiology Magazine, European Edition is an interview with its president, Roger Bonnet, about COSPAR's role in space exploration. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2363&mode=thread&
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g Imagining - Is there life on Mars? Here’s a timeline of the debate: http://www.spacedaily.com/2004/040123173004.po61yma6.html.

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