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Looking for Life in Looking for Life in the Solar System the Solar System and Beyond and Beyond

Looking for Life in the Solar System and Beyond

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Looking for Life in the Solar System and Beyond. Project Ozma. The Water Hole. A “ window ” where H and OH wavelengths pass through. Double meaning: A meeting place and a “ hole ” for H + OH (= H2O ). Big Ear. The Wow! Signal. Arecibo Radio Telescope. Message from Arecibo. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Looking for Life in the Solar System  and Beyond

Looking for Life in the Looking for Life in the Solar System Solar System and Beyondand Beyond

Page 2: Looking for Life in the Solar System  and Beyond

Project Ozma

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The Water Hole

A “window” where H and OH wavelengths pass through. Double meaning: A meeting place and a “hole” for H + OH (=H2O).

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Big Ear

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The Wow! Signal

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Arecibo Radio Telescope

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Message from Arecibo

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Message from

Arecibo decoded

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Pioneers 10 and 11 were launched in 1972-73. They are pointed towards the stars Aldebaran and Gliese 445. They will reach them in 2 and 4 million years.

Voyagers 1 and 2 were launched in 1973. They are pointed towards the stars AC+79 3888 and Ross 248. They will reach them in 38 and 40 thousand years.

Pioneer and Voyager

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The Pioneer Plaque

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The Voyager Record

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New Solar Systems

1294 new solar systems (2042 total planets) have been discovered.

Most of these have 1-3 Jupiter-sized planets

Planets are detected by studying star wobbles or eclipses.

Star GQ Lupi (A)and its planet (B)

“B” is 22 times the mass of Jupiter!

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The youngest forming planet ever found is around a 2-milion-year-old star about 450 light years from Earth. The planet itself is estimated to be about 50,000 to 100,000 years old.

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LkCa 15b is 'building itself' out of dust and gas.It sits in a cleared zone between the star and the dust disc. It was discovered using a combination of optical and infrared imaging using the Keck telescopes on Mauna Kea, HI.

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This exoplanet is only 25 LY away. It was discovered using the Hubble Space telescope.

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Picture of the First Exoplanet: 2M1207b

230 LY away from Earth

5X the mass of Jupiter

3X the diameter of Jupiter

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Mars

Mars may have hosted microbial life sometime in its early history. The most likely environment for this life was underground.

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Life on Mars? Life on Mars? The Meteorite DebateThe Meteorite Debate

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Water on the dwarf planet Ceres

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Ceres movie from Dawn

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Occator CraterOccator Crater

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Europa – Water world?

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Europa Geysers

Water vapor plumes up to 224 miles high were imaged near Europa’s south pole. They were detected in UV light by the Hubble Space Telescope.

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Searching for alien life in Europa’s oceans

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Titan

Titan has a thick atmosphere made of 95% nitrogen and 5% methane, with traces of hydrocarbons and hydrogen cyanide

Surface Temperature = -288°F

Titan has a larger diameter than Mercury or Pluto.

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Titan: lakes, life?

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Saturn’s moon Enceladus

Liquid saltwater has been imaged squirting out of cracks in the ice crust of Enceladus by the Cassini orbiter.

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Salt and water on the dwarf planet Ceres

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• Liquid nitrogen Liquid nitrogen volcanoesvolcanoes

• Cantaloupe terrainCantaloupe terrain

• Underground oceans?Underground oceans?

Triton

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Pluto

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Pluto cryovolcano?