Transcript How Special Are We? Answer: Not Very

How Special Are We?
Answer: Not Very
• In the Beginning
• Our Solar System
• The Star Upsilon Andromeda
• HD 209458
• Extraterrestrial Life
IN THE BEGINNING
The Big Bang
-Everything known was from
one source.
-Earth and all of us.
-Everything that is anything.
“At the point of this event
all of the matter and
energy of space was
contained at one point.”
- www.umich.edu
Within 3 seconds H, He, and Li began to form.
IN THE BEGINNING
First Generation Stars
-Thermonuclear Reactions at 107 K
-Components for us were made.
(Oxygen and Carbon)
-Happened on a large Scale
-Led to the second generation.
IN THE BEGINNING
Second Generation Stars
-More components for us were made.
-CNO Cycle
-Responsible for most of the universe’s Nitrogen
-Happened on a larger Scale
-Led to wide dispersal of elements.
The heavy elements, essential to life, were created by the
early generations of massive stars. In essence, then, we can
paraphrase Shakespeare, “We are such stuff as stars are made
of, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”
-- Page 13 in our book
Our Solar System
Formed From a Nebular Cloud
-Angular Momentum
-Circumstellar Disk
-Protostar and Protoplanets
Our Solar System
Contents
•Sun: 99.85%
•Planets: 0.135%
•Comets: 0.01% ?
•Satellites: 0.00005%
•Asteroids: 0.0000002% ?
•Meteoroids: 0.0000001% ?
•Nutrinos: 0.0000001% ?
The Star Upsilon Andromeda
• 44 light years away
• Discovered in 1999
• First System Comparable to
Ours
• Found by Star Wobble
• Step Closer To Finding Life
“This is the one we’ve all been waiting for.” -Stephen
Maran, American Astronomical Society
The Star Upsilon Andromeda
Probably no life.
- Too Big
- Too Close
- No Liquid Water
The Star Upsilon Andromeda
What about on Moons?
-We have around 141 moons in our solar system.
-Jupiter’s Europa is a good possibility for life.
-They are planets like Jupiter, why not moons like Europa?
-The moons could also be like Earth.
HD 209458
• 150 light years away
• In constellation
Pegasus
• Sun-sized Star
• Discovered in 1999
The planet around this star was discovered in 1999, but
surfaced again when it passed in front of the star in 2001.
HD 209458
• Saturn sized gasgiant
• 1st extrasolar planet
transit
• Has an atmosphere of
Oxygen, Carbon, and
Nitrogen
HD 209458
Again Probably No Life
• Too Massive
• Primarily Gaseous
• Too Close
Nevertheless, the atmosphere is a good sign in the
right direction for extraterrestrial life.
Extraterrestrial Life
In the Beginning
- All of the matter in the universe was at one singular point
- Common background continued through the first and second
generations of stars
- Star creation and recreation happened all throughout the
universe
Extraterrestrial Life
Our Solar System
- The results of the Big Bang and the generations of stars.
- Fairly simple process involving the condensing of a dust
clouds.
- These dust clouds are available all throughout the universe.
Extraterrestrial Life
Upsilon Andromeda
- Posed great possibilities because it was a multi planet system.
HD 209458
- Extrasolar planets have atmospheres.
Life is a pretty special thing, but it
looks like it could be a common
occurrence in the universe.
Infinite Space
=
Infinite Possibilities