Search for Life in the Universe - Exam 2 Review

In the outer solar system Methane is the best source of

Carbon

In the outer solar system Ammonia is the best source of

Nitrogen

For the transit method when the planet is directly in front of the star the brightness of the star is

Least

Currently the number of planets we have imaged directly outside our solar system is

(only gas giants)

About a dozen

How does the wobble method work for detecting planets?

By watching the Doppler shift of a star as it moves towards and away from you

Most planets found by the Wobble are

(All)

Hot Jupiters

What are Hot Jupiters?

Gas giants that are very close to their star

Imagine in the near future that a spacecraft launches at 10% the speed of light. Its destination: the closest planet to our solar system with intelligent life. Hundreds to thousands of years later we develop the ability to travel at 99% the speed of light. A second spacecraft is designed and launched towards the nearest planet to our solar system with intelligent life. Which spacecraft will reach the extra solar planet with intelligent life first?

the 99% spacecraft

Which of the following values of a planet does the Wobble method allow you to calculate that the Transit method does not?

planet's mass

Which of the following values of a planet does the Transit method allow you to calculate that the Wobble method does not?

planet’s radius

The method of planet detection which involves the dimming of the sun is called the

transit method

A majority of currently known exo-planets were discovered by

the Kepler telescope

Using your naked eye on the moon what is the smallest individual human made structure you can see from the moon?

none

Which of the following groups/agencies is actively looking for intelligent life in the universe?

SETI

An advanced alien civilization visiting the earth they would think of humans as equals

false

Oxygen in abundance is a smoking gun for life. Why do we look for Ozone and not Oxygen?

Oxygen does not have absorption lines in Earth's spectrum

Ozone is only around if you have lots of oxygen

Europa has no atmosphere. Therefore Europa can

have life underground but not on the surface

What are the basic building blocks of life?

Liquid water, Energy source, Temperature Range, Pressure, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, Nitrogen

We need to take a spectrum of a planet to determine

if it has life on it

The primary reason the Kepler Telescope is able to see objects much more clearly than ground telescopes is because

it’s in space

When using the wobble method the period of the planet's orbit is equal to

the period of the star’s wobble

In our solar system, are Venus and/or Mars in our habitable zone?

yes for both

About how many stars in our galaxy (out of 400 billion) are thought to have planets (please note most have not been discovered yet)?

100-200 billion; ~50%

The number of intelligent civilizations we could communicate with in our galaxy is determined by

The Drake equation

The number of stars in our galaxy that are similar to our sun is approximately (out of 400 billion total stars)

40 billion; ~10%

Optical Interferometers must be placed in space because

you can only know the distance between telescopes accurately enough in space

SETI receives approximately how much money from government funding sources each year?

$0

If an intelligent civilization were to colonize our solar system which planet would they most likely want to colonize?

Mercury