Kepler Probe spots smallest planet yet discovered outside Sun's solar system

[rodsky]

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I have a question rodsky .. if we blow a planet with an bomb strong enough to change its orbit for example like the mars or this kepler 10 b ...

blowing the planet off and change its orbit jus enought to make it in the perfect goldilocks zone ...

might be enough temperature to melt or condense hydrogen etch to create at least a lil ocean ...

do u think u think we can do that blowing palnets out .. if we already have the technology??

I don't think the term "blowing up" is suitable, for if you create such a force on the surface of the planet, just to "nudge" it off its current orbit, the amount of energy you require would also be sufficient enough to DESTROY the said planet. Which we don't want to happen, yes?

I honestly can't figure out an alternative way to "push" or "nudge" a planet out of its orbit, considering the mass involved. The earth's mass is 5,973,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms (incidentally, you can also say "nearly six septillion kilograms", or just simply 5.9737 × 10^24 kg). Just think of the energy required to move it out of its orbit considering that it's moving at around 30 kilometers A SECOND through space as it revolves around our sun.

Perhaps one day, creating "mini black holes" at certain points in space near the paths of planets, would be the key to "orbit nudging", but hey I'm just wildly speculating here.

ADDENDUM: I just realized that, you will encounter YET ANOTHER PROBLEM after you've successfully "nudged" a planet out of its current orbit to one with a greater or lesser apogee--circularization. For if the resulting new orbit is highly eccentric, then the planet would swing into that "goldilocks zone" at some time, yet swing out of it some other time, which could be very very bad for the inhabitants of the said planet.

-RODION

[stew_griff]

I used to have access to a 4.5" Dobsonian reflector that I helped build, but that was back in Mindanao. Here in Cebu I only have my 7x50 binoculars, I really have very little time to observe anyways, and I can't invest on a large aperture telescope because I don't have a vehicle--if you don't own your own vehicle, it's difficult to transport your scope to areas where there is little light pollution.

And stop calling me "master"--I'm not.

UPDATE: "Where is Kepler-10 and Kepler-10B?"

Nice animation to show the location of Kepler-10, it's just above Constellation Cygnus, the Swan.
YouTube - Where Is Planet Kepler 10b? [720p]

-RODION

gamaya , daghana pa jud d i sa mga posibleng makit an nga mga exoplanets sa

[rodsky]

Just an update. Adding a YT video, information on the Kepler Mission:

YouTube - Kepler Mission

And btw, some NASA scientists are calling this planet "Vulcan" now. Spock anyone?

-RODION

[malic_2]

Yes I'm an amateur astronomer.

Amateur astronomy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Christopher Go, from Cebu City, who discovered Red Spot Jr, on the planet Jupiter in February 24, 2006, is also an amateur astronomer. Atmosphere of Jupiter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

-RODION

kudos to Chris Go.

do you guys have a place for kids to learn astronomy?

[rodsky]

kudos to Chris Go.

do you guys have a place for kids to learn astronomy?

Nope, but we do have some ideas/projects in mind related to such, but we'll do them once we both have the time and the means. No hurries, no pressure. After all, it's a hobby.

-RODION

[yhokz101]

On Kepler-10b: Kepler-10b is 1.4 times the size of the Earth. It orbits its star, Kepler-10, in less than a day, at less than a twentieth of the distance from Mercury to the Sun. Its surface temperature is approximately 1600 K, which is hot enough to melt gold.

- Im just wondering when can we discover a planet that is more similar to Earth where we can also prove that it can sustain life.. or i wonder is it really a necessity for a planet to be like Earth in order to sustain life?

[rodsky]

- Im just wondering when can we discover a planet that is more similar to Earth where we can also prove that it can sustain life.. or i wonder is it really a necessity for a planet to be like Earth in order to sustain life?

The answer to both questions is, we do not know. We just have to keep looking until we find one that fits one or both of the categories you've mentioned (i.e. earth-like, or non-earthlike supporting non-carbon based life, i.e. silica/crystalline etc.).

-RODION

[malic_2]

The answer to both questions is, we do not know. We just have to keep looking until we find one that fits one or both of the categories you've mentioned (i.e. earth-like, or non-earthlike supporting non-carbon based life, i.e. silica/crystalline etc.).

-RODION

So why are they doing this? and if they find one,what are they going to do?

[yhokz101]

i guess basically it's quite similar to what intentions or goals on every explorer/scientist might have... could be for exploration, study, politics, money, power, etc... and ultimately for the purpose of proving we are not alone in this vast universe... just my thought.

[rodsky]

So why are they doing this?

Same reason why I want to find out if the new detergent brand I bought is better than my old brand when I do my laundry tonight. Same reason why I want to see if Jollibee Sundae is better than McDonald's Sundae. Same reason why I want to go and explore the beaches of Balamban. Because I don't know the answer, and I want to find out the answers, and I know the answers are within reach, because I can. And oh, before I forget, it's rather quite fun too.

“Exploration is at the heart of human nature.” -Carl Sagan

and if they find one,what are they going to do?

For me, getting some findings (data), and interpreting this data, is already sufficient. Knowing is the reward.

-RODION