Invent an Alien…

Define: EXOPLANET

A planet that orbits a star other than our A planet that orbits a star other than our own sunown sun

First one discovered in?First one discovered in?

19921992How many have we discovered so far?How many have we discovered so far?

228228

Plan for today

Look at a couple of example of exoplanetsLook at a couple of example of exoplanets Invent an Alien!Invent an Alien!

Roll dice to determine the planet your alien lives onRoll dice to determine the planet your alien lives on Design the alienDesign the alien

Include a “smart part” – Include a “smart part” – How does your alien get around?How does your alien get around? Include a “smart action” – Include a “smart action” – What (or how) does it eat?What (or how) does it eat?

We’ll look at some examples before we invent We’ll look at some examples before we invent the alienthe alien..

Exoplanets

http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=3105

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2M1207b

First picture of one (maybe) taken in April 2004First picture of one (maybe) taken in April 2004 In orbit around brown dwarf 2M1207AIn orbit around brown dwarf 2M1207A About 3 to 10 times the mass of JupiterAbout 3 to 10 times the mass of Jupiter Takes about 1500 years to orbit its sun Takes about 1500 years to orbit its sun

Brown dwarf

Planet?

Nov 2008 announcements

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2008/39/

http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/hotShots.cfm

We got lucky

Most planets are too close to their sun, Most planets are too close to their sun, and their sun too bright, to allow us to take and their sun too bright, to allow us to take a picturea picture

Scientists use a variety of techniques to Scientists use a variety of techniques to detect a planetdetect a planet

Right now the techniques available work Right now the techniques available work best for large planets that are close to their best for large planets that are close to their sunsun

Light Light, like sound, can be Light, like sound, can be

broken up into unique broken up into unique frequencies (colors)frequencies (colors)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Light_dispersion_conceptual_waves.gif

Detecting the wobble

When an object orbits another object, they When an object orbits another object, they actually both orbit a common “center of actually both orbit a common “center of mass”.mass”.

We can detect that wobble

Change in frequency (of sound or light) of Change in frequency (of sound or light) of a moving object called the “Doppler Effect” a moving object called the “Doppler Effect” for example a police car with siren driving byfor example a police car with siren driving by

And there are other techniques that can be And there are other techniques that can be used tooused too

Doppler effect

Artist impressions of exoplanets

It will be a long time before we can take a It will be a long time before we can take a direct picture of an exoplanetdirect picture of an exoplanet

We really don’t know what the planets look We really don’t know what the planets look likelikeWe can make educated guessesWe can make educated guesses

http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2005-10/ssc2005-10c.shtml

Compared to our own solar system's asteroid belt, this one is larger and closer to its star -- it is 25 times as massive, and lies just inside an orbit equivalent to that of Venus.

HD 69830 d is an exoplanet planet orbiting the orange dwarf star HD 69830 (located 41 light years) every 197 days. It is the outermost known planet in its planetary system and possibly lies within its habitable zone. The system includes what is believed to be an asteroid belt.

Planet OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb. Its star is most likely a red dwarf. It’s orbit is 2 to 4 times the size of Earth’s, meaning it gets little energy from its sun. Therefore the surface temperature is estimated as -220C (-364F)

Enough about planets, how about the aliens that live on

them?OK, we don’t know what might live there…OK, we don’t know what might live there…Next 4 pictures and descriptions are from Next 4 pictures and descriptions are from

the following two books:the following two books:Barlowe’s Guide to ExtraterrestrialsBarlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials by Wayne by Wayne

Douglas Barlowe.Douglas Barlowe.The ALIEN Life of Wayne BarloweThe ALIEN Life of Wayne Barlowe by Wayne by Wayne

Douglas Barlowe.Douglas Barlowe.

http://www.waynebarlowe.com/

http://www.waynebarlowe.com/

http://www.waynebarlowe.com/

http://www.waynebarlowe.com/

Life on Earth can seem pretty unusual too…

Thelepus setosus, up to 1 foot (30 cm), tentacles up to 3 feet (0.9 meters) long. Corkscrew gills and grooved feeding tentacles splay from a spaghetti worm, one of the many thousands of worm species that live at sea. This reef dweller protects its six-inch (15 centimeters) body in a sand-and-mucus tube while its appendages drift, snagging detritus and distracting foes.

http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0702/feature4/gallery1.html

Convolutriloba longifissura, 0.08-0.12 in (0.2-0.3 cm).

An acoel is a tiny flatworm without a gut. Denizen of stony shallows, photosynthetic algae in its skin help nourish it.

http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0702/feature4/gallery1.html

Chaetopterus variopedatus, up to 9.8 in (25 cm) long

The intricate parchment worm, this one about five inches (13 centimeters) long, is typically well-hidden in a U-shaped tube in the sand—through which it pumps water using paddles at the center of the body. Edible bits are caught and balled up in sticky mucus bags that form below the rectangular head. When disturbed, this remarkable animal can expel

bioluminescent mucus. http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0702/feature4/gallery1.html

Postscript

Habitable zones

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitable_zone

(habitable for life as we know it, i.e. where the temperature where water is a liquid)

Scientific American Magazine

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-color-of-plants-on-other-worlds

April 2008 Issue

On a world with On a world with a (smaller) a (smaller) cooler, dim star cooler, dim star the plants might the plants might need to be blackneed to be black

Planets around very Planets around very young small stars young small stars would be bathed in would be bathed in ultraviolet light, ultraviolet light, making the only making the only safe place safe place underwaterunderwater