Planet Hunters: The Search for Life in Outer Space

Using incredible technological advancements, astronomers are expanding their search for life in the universe. Could they be looking for the right answers in the wrong places? by Jerold Aust

Astronomer Daniel Goldin philosophized during Hunt for Alien Worlds, a program in the NOVA series aired on many U.S. Public Broadcasting Service stations: "We all search for meaning to life, and if-if we would even have a discovery that there is a habitable planet, let alone life on it-I think it would uplift the human spirit." The desire to know the meaning of life is a worthy aspiration, and to explore whether life exists somewhere else in the universe is a natural consequence of that desire. Do planets circle distant stars somewhere in another galaxy? Scientists want to know. The Hale-Bopp comet earlier this year left behind more than a spectacular prismatic spray of cosmic moisture. This celestial chunk of ice stirred imaginations to wonder about other planets-and other life-somewhere in the remote regions of the universe. Such speculation is aided by today's telescopes. They are so powerful that some believe that the discovery of life on other planets is within reach. It's this kind of technological advantage that raises such expectations. Historical perspective The greatest challenge astronomers face in their search for other planets is that they can't see them. The only planets we can directly observe are those we can view in the night sky, such as Mars and Venus, some of those that make up our solar system. Although some nearby planets are visible to the naked eye, those in the farthest orbits of our sun's system took hundreds of years to discover. Uranus wasn't discovered until 1781, Neptune in 1843 and Pluto in 1930 (captured in a telescopic photograph). It wasn't until 1990, with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope, that Pluto's moon was captured in a photograph. Scientists assume that other solar systems with planets like ours exist and harbor intelligent life. Read the full article at www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn14/planethunters.htm Related Information on UCG Sites: Table of Contents that includes "Planet Hunters: The Search for Life in Outer Space" Other Articles by Jerold Aust Space: _Is Mars the Next Frontier? _Moon Race Redux _Science and Discomfiting Discoveries _Extraterrestrial Life: What Does the Bible Say? _Is There Life Out There? _Our Privileged Place in the Universe _If the Milky Way God's plan: _The Majority: Unknowing, Unaware and Unconcerned _Do You Have a Biblical Worldview? _Does God Have a Plan for Humanity? _God's Prophetic Plan for the Nations _Contributing a Verse _The Universe and Beyond _The Restless God _Everlasting Life Conquers Death _Following the Footsteps of a Different God _Satan's Work in our World _Why Were You Born? (GE) _Humanity _Introduction (HD) _Biblical Holy Days in the New Testament _The Passover: Why Did Jesus Christ Have to Die? _God's Days of Worship _Does It Matter to God? _Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God _Why a Loving God Allows Suffering _The International Scope of Prophecy _How God Shaped Israel's Future _Understanding God Through Christ _Festivals of Hope _Introduction (bsc12) _Back to the Beginning _God's Plan as Revealed by His Holy Days _God's Vision for You _What Do the Holy Days Mean for Christians Today? _Does It Really Matter What You Believe? _What is My Purpose Here? _The Feast of Peace _Will A New Leader Solve Our Problems? _Do You Know Why Christ Lives? _Predestination: Are You Just a Pawn? _What Religious Days Did Jesus Observe? _The Biblical Festivals That Show How God Will Bring World Peace _Natural Disasters: Will We Ask the Crucial Questions? _When God Doesn't Make Sense _A Perfect Family _The Top 10 Reasons Why I Don't Celebrate Christmas _God's Plan to End Evil and Suffering _Join the Few, the Called, the Chosen _A Long Time From Now in a Galaxy Far, Far Away... _A Thousand Words Are Worth a Picture _The Hole in Your Heart _Why Understand Prophecy? _God's Plan for Eternity _What's My Purpose Here? Search Our Site Key Subjects Index General Topics Index Biblical References Index Good News Magazine Index Booklets and All Literature Index Home Page of this site