Friday, December 23, 2011

Galaxy Quest is really a Best Case Scenario

We are nearly upon the night when the Magi followed the Star, so matters astronomical have been on my mind.

The Kepler space probe continues to amaze me.  Recently it "found" the first potentially earth-like planet.  Dubbed Keppler 22b it is only twice earth size and well within the habitable "Goldilocks" zone where water exists in a liquid form.  Note that Wisconsin in the winter only marginally qualifies.

All pretty exciting stuff, but sobering in a way.

I vacillate between thinking I was born too late (missing the Age of Sail) or too early (I would so enlist in Star Fleet!).  All I can do is look at the various star maps and dream of visiting exotic new worlds.  Take for instance the star Mu Arae.  It is a G5 star only 50 light years away.  It is known to have four planets.  And as we speak the theoretical inhabitants of the Mu Arae system are tuning up their equivalent of SETI and receiving this transmission:


May you steer by true stars in the year ahead.

1 comment:

Borepatch said...

Thank goodness that the aliens are too far away to be picking up "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills".

Merry Christmas, Tacitus!