[meteorite-list] '100 percent' chance for life onnewlyfoundplanet?

From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 7 Oct 2010 23:47:37 -0500
Message-ID: <662A146F6ABC433FB9DC0A9BD1B911F0_at_ATARIENGINE2>

Hi, Ted, List,

If you're looking for a "universal" message to send,
here's the one and only "official" message to aliens,
sent one-time only to the M-13 star cluster 25,000
light years away on Novemeber 15, 1974:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_message

The Wiki gives the full explanation of the message
and its digital form, how it was coded, and how it was
sent. It would be a fine choice for a message, though
I think a target star closer than 25,000 lightyears
would be a better choice, don't you?

Suggestions?

Number 1 on my list is alpha Centauri B, in the closest
star system to our own. It seems to have no giant planets,
but has been "under-searched" despite (or because of?)
being the nearest star to us. Otherwise, it's a good
candidate star (but unfortunately right on the horizon
from Hawai'i).

Here's the list of stars closest to Earth. I believe in starting
with the neighbors, whether planets have been detected
or not, because the present technology could never detect
an Earth-sized world around a Sun-like star, even if it
was as close as Mercury...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nearest_stars

For the closest stars with proven planets... Well, I found
that a list of exoplanet systems by distance from the Earth
to be a very hard list to come by; it's like distance is being
willfully ignored, so here is my Guide to the Neighbors
(whom I now feel like I know better).

A List Nearby Stars with Detected Planets
by Order of Distance:

8.25 light-years - Lalande 21185 System (three unconfirmed
planets around a red dwarf). Star is class M2.0V.

10.5 light-years - epsilon Eridani System - Nearest single non-red
dwarf star to the Sun and the nearest star system with confirmed
planets. The planet is a very elliptical Jupiter-like world. It also
has TWO asteroid belts and a Kuiper belt, with evidence of
planets in-between. Estimated age of system is ~450 million
years. Star is class K2V; the system is likely too young for life.

14.8 light-years - Gliese 674 System - The nearest red dwarf known
to have a planet, also the second nearest exoplanet to the Sun. The
planet is a Hot Neptune in a tight orbit that has a similar eccentricity
as Mercury. Star is class M2.5.

15.4 light-years - Gliese 876 System - Very nearby quadruple
planet system and the first red dwarf found to have planets. The
innermost planet (d) was the first discovered rocky planet around
a normal star (the first true "Super-Earth", at epistellar distances).
The outer three planets c (Saturnian), b (Jovian), and d (Neptunian)
are in 1:2:4 (30d/60d/120d) resonance (the first exoplanet resonance
and first triple-resonant planets discovered). The outermost planet
has a Mercury-like orbit. Planet b is second discovered by ELODIE
after 51 Peg b and the second to have its mass exactly measured
and the first to have done so by astrometry. Star is class M4V.

16.1 light-years - Gliese 832 System - Third nearest red dwarf with
planets. Has a slightly eccentric Jovian planet with 64% Jupiter's mass
at an asteroid-belt like distance. One of the larger red dwarf planets
around one of the larger (M1.5) red dwarves (about half a Solar
Mass). Has second highest angular separation from its sun. A good
astrometry detection candidate and a target for SIM. Star is class
M1.5.

19 light-years - VB 10 System - A controversial "first" exoplanetary
system discovered using astrometry and lies only 20 light years away,
but not confirmed with doppler spectrometry. Would be smallest known
star to host a planet and is a flare star. Contains a cold Jupiter six
times Jupiter's mass at a Mercury like distance. The "planet" and
the star are about the same size and the planet contains 10% of
the mass of the system. The system forms an astrometric binary
(unbound) with a larger Gliese 752 binary system, which lies
434 AU away. The star will burn for 10 trillion years, then the
planet will fall into it, fuelling it for another 100 billion years.

20.4 light-years - Gliese 581 System - Small nearby red dwarf with
six planets in tight circular orbits. Planet e is the smallest known
doppler-detected exoplanet and a Super Mercury, b is a hot Neptunian,
c is a super-Venus and the first detected in the HZ, g is a SuperEarth
and the first detected in the middle of the habitable zone, d is a
SuperEarth on the outer edge of the habitable zone, and f is a
cold SuperEarth. Star is class M3.

23 light-years - Gliese 667 System - A triple star system 23 light
years away, consisting of binary of orange dwarf stars about
12 AU apart (ranging from 5 to 20 AU), around which a distant
red dwarf C orbits (ranging from 56 to 215 AU) and the nearest
multiple star system known to harbor a planet. A temperate
SuperEarth planet (5.7 ME) discovered around star C was the
poster child for an announcement of 32 exoplanets discovered
by European astronomers working on the HARPs project and
brought the then-total number of exoplanets to near 400. Star is
class M1.5V.

25.1 light-years - Fomalhaut System - a dust disk is observed
in unprecedented detail. A planet suspected of causing a sharp
gap in the ring was suspected and imaged, becoming the first
undisputed exoplanet imaged and the first planet since Neptune
to be predicted prior to its discovery. The planet orbits about
115 AU and is between Neptune and 3 times Jupiter's mass in
an eccentric orbit. Star is class A3V (very big and hot).

28 light-years - 61 Virginis System - A system containing a 5.1 ME
hot SuperEarth and two other further out Neptunians (and possibly
a fourth), and a Kuiper Belt around a very Sun-like star only
28 light years away. All planets would fit inside Venus' orbit.
This is the closest planetary system around a G-type star, which
is visible to the naked eye. It is the first non-borderline G-class
main sequence star found to have a SuperEarth. Star is class
G5V.

28.6 light-years - Gliese 849 System - Contains the first long
period exoplanet found around a red dwarf star using doppler
spectrometry. Also only the second Jupiter mass planet
around a star less massive than half the Sun. Also the first
confirmed Jupiter-sized planet at Neptune-like temperatures.
There is evidence for a second planet. Star is class M3.5.

29 light-years - Gliese 433 System - Contains one of four
SuperEarths announced by the HARPs team in October 2009.
Star is class M3.5V.

29.9 light-years - Gliese 317 System - Smallest red dwarf within
10 parsecs with planets and the third red dwarf with detected
planets. Has one eccentric long period Jovian and possibly a
second very eccentric longer period Jovian in a resonant orbit.
Star is class M3.5.

30.7 light-years - Gliese 176 System - A low-period Neptunian
around a nearby red dwarf. Planet is the fourth discovered
Neptunian around a red dwarf star. Star is class M2.5V

33.5 light-years - Gliese 436 System - Nearby red dwarf that
contains one of the first Neptunians discovered. Planet b recently
became the smallest exoplanet known to transit its host star
and the nearest. It was found to have a steamy atmosphere
with "hot ice". It was later found to have a remarkably low levels
of methane and high levels of carbon monoxide for its 800K
temperature. Planet c was announced to be the smallest known
exoplanet (1.5 Earth's diameter), but the claim was later retracted.
Star is class M2.5.

36.2 light-years - 54 Piscium System - The star has a single eccentric
planet. A recently discovered faint distant T type brown dwarf may
be the cause of this eccentricity. Star is class K0V.

39.2 light-years - Gliese 86 System - Contains the first exoplanet
discovered by CORALIE of the Geneva southern extrasolar planet
search program. A cloudless blue heavy Jupiter and a white dwarf
star in orbit around an orange dwarf star. Star is class K1V.

38.4 light-years - The Errai System - Primary star also known as
gamma Cephei. It is the first close-in binary star found to have a
planet.
Hypothesized to contain the nearest "Sulfurous Cloud Giant" planet.
Star is class K0IVa.

41.0 light-years - HD 69830 System - First planetary system found
that does not have a Jupiter-sized planet around a normal star.
Contains 3 Neptunes and the first discovered asteroid belt that
is like the size and age as our Sun's. The debris from this belt
suggests that the belt has 20 times as much mass as our own,
would cause zodiacal lights 1000 times brighter than we see from
Earth. The smallest and outermost planet may be a 10 earth-mass
SuperEarth, is within the habitable zone, and it is an inner
shepherd for the vast asteroid belt. Star is class K0V.

42.0 light-years - 51 Pegasi System - Contains the first exoplanet
around a normal star to be discovered and the first "Hot Jupiter" found,
nicknamed "Bellerophon". Believed to have supersonic winds that
cause the eternal night-side hemisphere to be as hot as the day-side
one. Star is class G4V.

42.1 light-years - HD 147513 System - A Jovian and white dwarf
Star in orbit around a yellow dwarf star of class G9V.

43.7 light-years - 55 Cancri System - first extra-solar system known
to have five planets. Contains three tightly packed eccentric planets
very close in to the star (including the first Neptunian discovered
which was later found to be the shortest-period planet discovered
with 18 hour period), a Saturnian in the habitable zone, and one
large Jovian planet at Jupiter-like distances, the first found at true
Jupiter distances and still, of the exoplanest discovered with doppler
spectrometry, the one with the largest known semi-major axis.
Star is class G8V.

44.0 light-years - 47 Ursa Majoris System - (aka Ursae Majoris)
One of the earliest systems discovered and one of the only two
planet systems found to have circular orbits beyond the habitable
zone. Studies have shown a terrestrial planet could only form in
the innermost part of the habitable zone. Star is class G1V.

52.0 light-years - upsilon Andromedae System - Well known multi-
planet system. Roaster Planet b nicknamed the "Fire and Ice Planet"
because it is hot on one side and cold on the other. The outer
planets c (14 Jupiter masses, may actually be a brown dwarf star)
and d (10 Jupiter masses) have had their inclinations and masses
determined with astrometry. They are very eccentric and highly
inclined to each other (30 deg), which may be the result of planetary
scattering. A fourth further planet is hinted at. A stellar companion
could have caused the planetary ejection, but its period and orbit
are unknown, could be 10,000 years. Assumptions that all planets
are co-planar can no longer be made after this one. Star is class
F8V (larger and hotter than the Sun)

Why so many red dwarf stars? Particularly low-metallicity ones?
I think it's a selection effect. The planet/star mass ratio is
highest for lowest-mass stars, hence those systems have the
strongest radial velocity signature (tides on the surface of
the star caused by the planet). And these low-mass stars are
the easiest for an external (and close) planet to "wobble"!

So, if you call them, say "Hi" for me.


Sterling K. Webb
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "ted brattstrom" <volcanoted at yahoo.com>
To: "Meteorite List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 2:47 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] '100 percent' chance for life
onnewlyfoundplanet?


> Aloha
>
> Alas, WCX was operating in the "AM" band - a bit above 500kHz - and
> these signals don't do a very good job at getting out of the
> ionosphere.
>
> http://www.michiguide.com/history/am.html
>
> To get ETs attention, you have to wait until VHF signals start to be
> emitted from planet earth - and fairly high power at that... As was
> noted in the book Contact (Sagan) - that gets us into the 1930s... The
> Berlin Olympics and the Coronation of King George VI - these
> transmitters were operating around 50MHz, and those signals could make
> it through the ionosphere.... So - the 1936 timeframe is the crucial
> one for our radio envelope expansion. (after that we start getting
> noisier!!! Military radars, TV programs, and all)
>
>
> moving on:
>
> Having read Part 97 of the FCC regulations (the part that regulates
> Amateur Radio) - I don't see any part that prohibits me from grabbing
> a 300+ meter dish, a 1500 watt amplifier, and beaming a signal to
> Space using any acceptable coding system approved for use in the
> amateur bands. I'd have to use appropriate frequencies in the Amateur
> Radio Spectrum & I'd have to identify myself using my callsign (NH6YK)
> in English / International Phonetics / or International Morse Code /
> (or in the medium (RTTY/FSTV/SSTV etc) being used)
>
> So - 1296MHz at 1500W to the star of your choice??? seems legal to
> me - Unless - of course - the entities of the star/planet in question
> have registered (I think it's the ITU) that amateur radio
> communications are prohibited between amateurs of our country and
> their "people/amateurs"
>
> (since we are not transmitting to an Earth satellite - it is not
> subject to the sub-rules for the Amateur Satellite Service :-) :-) )
>
>
> Cheers - 73 and aloha - ted - nh6yk
>
>
>
> --- On Thu, 10/7/10, Steve Dunklee <steve.dunklee at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> From: Steve Dunklee <steve.dunklee at yahoo.com>
>> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] '100 percent' chance for life on
>> newlyfoundplanet?
>> To: sterling_k_webb at sbcglobal.net, geozay at aol.com,
>> meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>> Date: Thursday, October 7, 2010, 6:13 AM
>> you are forgetting the first
>> commercial radio stations. WJR which was WCX began
>> broadcasting in 1922 . Thats about 88 light years of radio
>> signals from Detroit. I wonder what they would think of us
>> hearing music and shows like "the lone ranger" and "flash
>> gordon" . If there is anyone out there. Cheers Steve
>>
>> On Wed Oct 6th, 2010 6:11 PM EDT Sterling K. Webb wrote:
>>
>> >We have already sent them "I Love Lucy," just
>> >by broadcasting it from October 15, 1951 to
>> >May 6, 1957. In the Fifties, the radio brightness
>> >of the Earth was about 700 times greater than
>> >our Sun's radio brightness. A bright radio source
>> >in orbit about a G-class star is like firing up a
>> >beacon for everyone within 50 lightyears, one
>> >that screams "Yoo-Hoo!"
>
> --snip--
>
>> >Sterling K. Webb
>
>
>
>
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Received on Fri 08 Oct 2010 12:47:37 AM PDT