Where Would Earth-Like Planets Find Water? 168
astroengine writes "The term 'Earth-like worlds' is a vastly overused and hopelessly incorrect term that is popularly bandied about to explain some recent exoplanet discoveries. Although some of the distant small worlds being discovered by the Kepler space telescope may be of Earth-like size, orbiting their sun-like star in Earth-like orbits, calling those worlds 'Earth-like' gives the impression these alien planets are filled with liquid water. It turns out that we have only a vague idea as to where Earth got its water, and it will take a long time until we have any hint of this life-giving resource on worlds orbiting stars thousands of light-years away."
Re:Wish they would just knock it off with "earth-l (Score:5, Funny)
This is usually the part where I make a joke, but somehow I just feel lonely and sad now.
Maybe this will do - one of my old sigs:
"Space - it's really big. I mean, really, really, really big. Better pack a lunch."
Re:Wish they would just knock it off with "earth-l (Score:3, Funny)
Let me cheer you up with a quote from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy...
POPULATION OF UNIVERSE : None.
It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in it. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.
Re:Finally (Score:4, Funny)
No. Both are very valuable terms, and should be used more.
When someone reads an article with "Earth-like" in it and assumes that means this other planet is just like Earth, and comes and tells me about it, I then know that he is an idiot. On the other hand, if someone complains (especially at length) about the use of the term, I know he's pedantic. As a bonus, constant disappointment for the first guy may help him improve his critical thinking skills and general knowledge base, possibly making him not an idiot.
"God particle" is similar, except that it also elicits outraged statements that reveal the speaker is a crazy religious nut job having a crisis of faith.
See? Both terms have a habit of revealing useful information about people who see them used, potentially provide educational incentives for those people, AND provide a useful shorthand (well, God particle not so much) for the rest of us.
Re:Wish they would just knock it off with "earth-l (Score:2, Funny)
You'd need to pack a fully self sustainable colony. Lunch would barely get you to orbit.
Re:Wish they would just knock it off with "earth-l (Score:5, Funny)
Christmas and contemplating the scale of the universe always gets me down.
Didn't get that scale model of the Enterprise again?
Maybe next year.
Duh (Score:2, Funny)
"It turns out that we have only a vague idea as to where Earth got its water"
Read your bible! It's God's piss.