Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Chapter 30, Problem 23E
In this chapter, we identify these characteristic properties of life: life extracts energy from its environment, and has a means of encoding and replicating information in order to make faithful copies of itself. Does this definition fully capture what we think of as “life”? How might our definition be biased by our terrestrial environment?
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There is much scientific evidence suggesting that all creatures living on Earth today appear to have evolved from a common ancestor.
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There is ample physical evidence that the earliest life forms on Earth were multicellular creatures, perhaps resembling some of our primitive fish.
When the earth formed some 4.6 billion years ago, it was a lifeless, inhospitable place.
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A radio broadcast left Earth in 1911. How far in light years has it traveled?
If there is, on average, 1 star system per 400 cubic light years, how many star systems has this broadcast reached?
Assume that the fraction of these star systems that have planets is 0.50 and that, in a given planetary system, the average number of planets that have orbited in the habitable zone for 4 billion years is 0.20. How many possible planets with life could have heard this signal?
Chapter 30 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 30 - What is the Copernican principle? Make a list of...Ch. 30 - Where in the solar system (and beyond) have...Ch. 30 - Give a short history of the atoms that are now in...Ch. 30 - What is a biomarker? Give some possible examples...Ch. 30 - Why are Mars and Europa the top targets for the...Ch. 30 - Why is traveling between the stars (by creatures...Ch. 30 - What are the advantages to using radio waves for...Ch. 30 - What is the “cosmic haystack problem”? List as...Ch. 30 - What is a habitable zone?Ch. 30 - Why is the simultaneous detection of methane and...
Ch. 30 - What are two characteristic properties of life...Ch. 30 - What are the three requirements that scientists...Ch. 30 - Can you name five environmental conditions that,...Ch. 30 - Would a human have been possible during the first...Ch. 30 - If we do find life on Mars, what might be some...Ch. 30 - What kind of evidence do you think would convince...Ch. 30 - What are some reasons that more advanced...Ch. 30 - What are some answers to the Fermi paradox? Can...Ch. 30 - Why is there so little evidence of Earth’s...Ch. 30 - Why was the development of photosynthesis a major...Ch. 30 - Does all life on Earth require sunshine?Ch. 30 - Why is life unlikely to be found on the surface of...Ch. 30 - In this chapter, we identify these characteristic...Ch. 30 - Given that no sunlight can penetrate Europa’s ice...Ch. 30 - Why is Saturn’s moon Enceladus such an exciting...Ch. 30 - In addition to an atmosphere dominated by...Ch. 30 - How can a planet’s atmosphere affect the width of...Ch. 30 - Why are we limited to finding life on planets...Ch. 30 - Suppose astronomers discover a radio message from...Ch. 30 - The light a planet receives from the Sun (per...Ch. 30 - Think of our Milky Way Galaxy as a flat disk of...
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- If we do find life on Mars, what might be some ways to check whether it formed separately from Earth life, or whether exchanges of material between the two planets meant that the two forms of life have a common origin?arrow_forwardIf you represent Earths history by a line that is 1 m long, how long a segment would represent the 400 million years since life first moved onto the land? How long a segment would represent the 4-millionyear history of humanoid life?arrow_forwardIf life is based on information, what is that information?arrow_forward
- What are the advantages to using radio waves for communication between civilizations that live around different stars? List as many as you can.arrow_forwardTutorial A radio broadcast left Earth in 1923. How far in light years has it traveled? If there is, on average, 1 star system per 400 cubic light years, how many star systems has this broadcast reached? Assume that the fraction of these star systems that have planets is 0.50 and that, in a given planetary system, the average number of planets that have orbited in the habitable zone for 4 billion years is 0.40. How many possible planets with life could have heard this signal? Part 1 of 3 To figure out how many light years a signal has traveled we need to know how long since the signal left Earth. If the signal left in 1923, distance in light years = time since broadcast left Earth. d = tnow - broadcast d = 97 97 light years Part 2 of 3 Since the radio signal travels in all directions, it expanded as a sphere with a radius equal to the distance it has traveled so far. To determine the number of star systems this signal has reached, we need to determine the volume of that sphere. V, = Vb…arrow_forwardTutorial A radio broadcast left Earth in 1925. How far in light years has it traveled? If there is, on average, 1 star system per 400 cubic light years, how many star systems has this broadcast reached? Assume that the fraction of these star systems that have planets is 0.30 and that, in a given planetary system, the average number of planets that have orbited in the habitable zone for 4 billion years is 0.85. How many possible planets with life could have heard this signal? Part 1 of 3 To figure out how many light years a signal has traveled we need to know how long since the signal left Earth. If the signal left in 1925, distance in light years = time since broadcast left Earth. d = tnow - tbroadcast d = light years Submit Skip (you cannot come back)arrow_forward
- Which of the following is least reasonable regarding the difficulty in contacting extraterrestrial life using space flight and radio communication. Group of answer choices Space flight to the nearest star would take thousands of years with current technology. Even if another intelligent civilization is within a few hundred light-years of us, conversations would be very slow with a turnaround time of decades or even centuries. The spacecraft that NASA sent to Proxima Centauri a few years ago should be approaching its target within a decade or two, depending on solar wind conditions. Earth has been broadcasting at radio wavelengths since the 1930's, so any civilization within a radius of about 100 light-years or so could have received the broadcast by now. Without some major breakthrough, interstellar space flight is totally impractical.arrow_forwardImagine that we discovered a new planet that has the potential to support life. This planet has plenty of water on its surface and carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, and a nice, comfortable temperature similar to Earth. The only difference is that this planet orbits a star that produces green light only. If we took some plants from Earth and planted them on this new planet, would our plants be able to grow? Explain your answer.arrow_forward200 years has passed and now it is year 2220. The Earth is out of basic resourcesas they have been drastically drained in the past 200 years. The president of theUnited World Council (UWC) has approved you and your crew’s Mission toMars. You will pilot the most advanced spaceship the world has ever known, theExcelsior! It will carry equipment that will help to transform Mars so as toresemble the Earth, especially so that it can support human life.Before the mission can launch a few items need to be figured out. What is thecapacity of the fuel tank? How long should the fuel burn to achieve escapevelocity (otherwise the Excelsior will be stuck in the Earth’s gravitational pull)?How long will it take the Excelsior to arrive at Mars?1. The ground crew is filling the fuel tanks. You know tharrow_forward
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