SEARCHING FOR PLANETS AND LIFE

SIMON GOODWINSheffield

John GribbinSussex

1995:

2005:

ONE

150 PLANETS

THE PROBLEM WITH PLANETS…

…IS THEY’RE TOUGH TO SEE

A PLANET AROUND 51 PEG

H2O

O3

CO2

EARTH FROM 30LYR

IT’S LIFE JIM, BUT IT IS AS WE KNOW IT?

CARBON-BASED?

WATER-BASED?

OXYGEN-USING?

IS LIFE COMMON?

LIFE APPEARED IN ~100MYR

BUT - IS INTELLIGENT LIFE COMMON?

THAT TOOK ~4500MYR

THE FERMI PARADOX

60000 LYR

10 MYR TO COLONISE THE GALAXY

GALACTIC ZOO?

INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL IS TOO DIFFICULT?

NARROW WINDOW IN TIME?

THEY’RE JUST NOT THERE?

SELF-DESTRUCT?

THE GOLDILOCKS PLANET

‘COMET HOOVER’

THE MOON: STABILISES AXIS CAUSES TIDES (x2) THIN CRUST

A QUIET SUN

ARE WE THE FIRST?

THE SUN IS VERY METAL RICH FOR ITS AGE

WE ARE ONLY 10-20 YEARS AWAY FROM DISCOVERING EARTH-LIKE PLANETS AND MAYBE FINDING LIFE ON THEM…

THAT’S ALL

(For now)