Do you know TRAPPIST-1 ?

I think that if we find that we have close neighbors, we will do our best to communicate with them. It will take time, because we will have to wait 80 years to get a response to a phone call to these planets. And they need to be populated by something a bit more smart than a dinosaur to give a response, but it is a very exciting news.

Some months back, I forget exactly whether it was a year or more, they were actually inviting applications from people all across the globe who would be interested to make a one way trip to mars. I had filed in too, and as expected, they must have rejected me on my medical conditions.

@thesids I remember this. As the trip to Mars is a one-way fare, and that I like to sleep in my bed, I will never sign for something like this. It will be a fascinating experience, but it is not for me.

@topffer I always loved astronomy or anything that was research oriented. As I mentioned on another discussion of yours, I also find the work you do as an Archaeologist exciting because there is so much that can be done. but then, we become what we are destined to become. I still remember that our school had a very small library and there were even very less of these Books regarding Astronomy and even the worlds haunted cities, mysterious places etc. I was the only student in the school who had got this entire set issued against me, and read all of them. Even had made notes . It was these books where I read that our sun has a life span of 10 billion years and so much more. Back to discussion, yes, it is definitely an interesting piece of discovery. But I do not think they (the 3 planets) have life forms that are superior to us - because if there were any, I think we would have found them here on our planet too.

The main problem is that there are not a lot of jobs offered for astronomers, but they do a so exciting job, that I would encourage a child to become an astronomer if he had the vocation. When I was in high school a friend had a small amateur telescope, and invited me a few times. I was more interested by archeology than by astronomy. My parents tried to dissuade me to become an archeologist for the same lack of employment reasons, but I do not regret my choice : it is more exciting to do an excavation and to study the items found than to be a lawyer.

@thesids I had the luck to be able to do something that I was enjoying and I jumped on it, but you are more a scientist than me. Don't ask too much : finding a form of life would already be wonderful...

@topffer The same applies to the belief that life requires water or had to be carbon based, but the whole concept is based on observations of Earth life. We are like fish believing that all life has to be able to survive underwater.

@Asylum Science moves forward in tiny steps, but it moves, and sometimes it needs to take a wrong track to find the right way. The close observation of these planets is part of the process.

A dwarf star is never very hot. What you write is full of common sense. We often reason analogically and it can be considered like a kind of anthropomorphism to think that only a planet similar to Earth might be able to support life. But we have no other sample...

@crazyhorseladycx I would not feel good if I was feeling that I am only a lab animal.

Completely fascinating . I learned to recognize the North Star when I was a child, but it is of little use now that any smartphone comes with a GPS and maps telling you exactly where you are. There are days where I feel very old, but I hope that I am young enough to read that other form of lives have been detected in other solar systems. It will be probably something as important in the story of humanity than Armstrong walking on the moon (at the time, I was very young, but I remember perfectly to have followed the event on the radio during summer holidays).

@topffer i fear i've a dumb phone, no gps, no net, no text :) i know where the north star's, e'en the lil dipper i can identify. 'tis the rest i do quite poorly't, lol. perhaps i jest lack imagination 'n vision? this does kinda make ya wonder if'n there were numerous "test models" created 'n a pitch to see which learnt more sophistication, eh?

Who knows ? Maybe people there are dinosaurs struggling for life...

@DaddyEvil I hope that all these advanced dinos are peaceful herbivorous, and not Ty Rex.

@topffer @TheHorse Or people there are dinosaurs with much more advanced technology than we have. You never know!

For the moment, it is still uni, but we will know it in the few months/years if the telescopes are seeing a kind of vegetation on these planets, and it is very exciting.

@topffer That is definitely exciting.

It is very exciting to think that we might have a response to this question in a few months or years.

The other earth-like planets discovered are too far to be observed correctly. I think that they will look more for vegetation than for aliens.

@topffer .. Ah well, whatever...I want to know if I can eat whatever can be grown there or not...

Alien tree I, alien tree II... I think that they will first try to find if there is a vegetation on these planets.

Due to the number of suns and planets present only in our galaxy, it is quite impossible to think that we are alone. But scientists need to prove that a form of life exists elsewhere, and maybe are we not far of that. It would be a big step.

@topffer I cannot wait to see the discussion about the other form of life and what the religions will have to say about this. They have to hurry up and find something to say.

@LadyDuck I think that they will only able to see at first if there is a vegetation changing from a season to another. As long as they will speak only of plants/trees, the religions will not be involved.

I understand you : I like sciences, but I have not a pioneer mind.