Discovering Science Thorough the Media - Essay Example

Discovering Science through the Media The specialists of the Harvard-Smithsonian center of astrophysics in the USAfound eight planets with characteristics, which are similar to Earth. At an annual meeting of the American astronomical society in Washington scientists assumed that on these planets there are oceans of water and the atmosphere, thus, the existing of organic life on these planets also can be assumed. As BBC informs, newly discovered planets are more than too times larger than an Earth and are covered with rocks; the climate on their surface is not characterized by temperature drops.

Sara Seager, a theorist explains: We can count as many as we like, “but until we can observe the atmospheres and assess their greenhouse gas power, we don’t really know what the surface temperatures are like” (cited in Overbye, 2015).On the one hand such discovery is not surprising as the scientists have already came to the conclusion that in the Milky Way there can be more than 20 billion planets, on which the temperature conditions are appropriate for life. The relevant data were obtained as a result of the statistical analysis of the observations, which were being made with the help of Kepler telescope during three years.

By means of the telescope scientists came to the conclusion that about 22% of stars in the Milky Way have the planets similar to Earth by the size where the temperature is appropriate for biological processes. A scientists Andrew Howard states: "For NASA, this number – that every fifth star has a planet somewhat like Earth – is really important, because successor missions to Kepler will try to take an actual picture of a planet, and the size of the telescope they have to build depends on how close the nearest Earth-size planets are” (cited in Ohlheiser, 2015)However, the fact needs further investigations, because the probability of mistake is very high.

Thus, in July 2014 the scientists revealed that found Gliese d and g can be simply a mistake of researchers. A couple of planets, Gliese d and g, which are allegedly situated at the distance of 22 light years from Earth caused many disputes. Now researchers state that two planets, on which, as it was assumed, organic life can be present, simply do not exist. Researchers came to such conclusion after carrying out the spectral analysis of a star, which the planets were supposed to move around. They explained that there was no planetary signal as it was stated before.

It was just a phenomenon caused by star activity". In other words, magnetic fields or flashes on the Sun could be confused with a signal of planets. Paul Robertson, a researcher from at Penn state University said: “They were very high value targets if they were real, but, unfortunately, we found out that they werent" (cited in Chung, 2014).Notwithstanding that the probability of mistake is high, the important step that provides a chance to put an end to our loneliness in space is made. .Work citedChung, Emily.

Earth-like planets Gliese 581 g and d likely dont exist, study says, 2014 Web, January 18, 2015; Ohlheiser, Abby. There Could Be Billions of Earth-Like Planets in the Milky Way Alone, 2013, Web, January 18, 2015;Overbye, Dennis, So Many Earth-Like Planets, So Few Telescopes, 2014, Web, January 18, 2015.