Pre-Announcement Media Coverage

[John Smith]

We are seeing so many remarkable pre-announcement pieces showing up, this is a place to post and discuss them. This one for example, is making discoveries sound 'ho hum' which a few months/years ago were heralded as amazing breakthroughs. Today for example: 

"Nearly Every Star Hosts at Least One Alien Planet"

http://news.yahoo.com/nearly-every-star-hosts-least-one-alien-plane...

When a month or so ago they were making a BIG deal about finding one planet in the sweet zone which could possibly support life, son they they say 25% of them could support life! Including mention of red dwarfs, etc. The Zeta predicted evidence continues to build up!

Here is another blog that relates, describing a wobble:

NASA Scientists "Discover" a Wobbly Planet!?

https://poleshift.ning.com/forum/topics/nasa-scientists-discover-a-...

[Kris H]

Obama issues executive order on space weather:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/10/13/obama-signs-...

[casey a]

A New Generation of Astronomers Is on the Hunt for the Next Earth 

https://www.wired.com/2016/10/meet-next-generation-exoplanet-hunters/

About a month ago, astronomers announced they had found a new exoplanet—this one, orbiting in the habitable zone of the nearest star to Earth. Proxima b is exciting because it’s nearby, and someday someone might send a spaceprobe to it. Plus, it has a mass close to Earth’s—making it more likely to be livable.

Proxima b popped out of a different technique, one that, for the most part, hasn’t been sensitive enough to see planets like Earth. And advances in that technique—including a new instrument called EXPRES—could improve detection enough for scientists to find and weigh lots of other Earth-mass planets.

[casey a]

What are the odds there is life in outer space - Richard Dawkins asks Neil Degrasse tyson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk0pRPIQBY4

[casey a]

Evidence of Planet 9 --"May Already Exist"
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2016/09/proof-of-planet-9-may-...

“Actually, it’s quite possible that the planet has already been in some way imaged,” says Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institute. “That happened with Uranus, Neptune and Pluto — they were observed but not understood before they were actually detected. Who knows, proof of Planet X {or Planet 9} may already exist in some observatory archive.”

Scott Shepard’s team has been se arching for proof of Planet 9 using the Dark Energy Camera on the 4-meter Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tollolo Inter-American Observatory in the southern Atacama region of Chile (below) . They have also collected data on distant solar system objects with the Japanese Hyper Surpime Camera on the 8-meter Subaru telescope in Hawaii. (National Optical Astronomical Observatory)

Shepard is considering an alternative theory that involves a Planet 9 exoplanet that had been been kicked out of another nearby solar system that formed in the general vicinity of ours. Such things are known to happen.

The other team most deeply involved with the Planet 9 hunt is led by Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin of the California Institute of Technology. They are the ones who made a big splash earlier this year with their predictions of a Planet 9, again based on the orbits of smaller objects.

Sheppard’s team is conducting the deepest survey so far for objects beyond Neptune and the Kuiper Belt, a circumstellar disk that lies some 30 to 50 times as far as the Earth is from the sun.

[SongStar101]

Pluto Probe Spots Distant Dwarf Planet Quaoar (Photos)

http://www.space.com/33921-dwarf-planet-quaoar-new-horizons-photos....

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft captured this image of the dwarf planet Quaoar in July 2016, from a distance of 1.3 billion miles (2.1 billion kilometers).

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has photographed a distant dwarf planet cruising through the dark depths of the outer solar system.

New Horizons captured images of the mysterious, 690-mile-wide (1,110 kilometers) Quaoar at four different times on July 13 and July 14 — exactly one year after the probe's historic July 14, 2015, flyby of Pluto.

New Horizons was 1.3 billion miles (2.1 billion km) from Quaoar when it took the photos with its Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) camera, so the dwarf planet is not sharply resolved. But even such fuzzy views have scientific value, NASA officials said. [Destination Pluto: NASA's New Horizons Mission in Pictures]

"With the oblique view available from New Horizons, LORRI sees only a portion of Quaoar's illuminated surface, which is very different from the nearly fully illuminated view of the dwarf planet from Earth," NASA officials wrote in an image description today (Aug. 31). "Comparing Quaoar from the two very different perspectives gives mission scientists a valuable opportunity to study the light-scattering properties of Quaoar's surface."

Quaoar (pronounced kwa-whar) was discovered in 2002 and has not officially been designated a dwarf planet, but it almost certainly qualifies, researchers have said. Dwarf planets need to be massive enough to be shaped into a sphere by their own gravity; with a diameter of 690 miles, Quaoar is larger than the officially recognized dwarf planet Ceres.

Quaoar lies an average of 43 astronomical units (AU) from the sun and completes one lap around the star every 286 Earth years. (One AU is the average distance from Earth to the sun — about 93 million miles, or 150 million km.) The object has one known moon.

NASA's New Horizons probe captured these images of the dwarf planet Quaoar on July 13-14, 2016, from a distance of 1.3 billion miles (2.1 billion kilometers).

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

The newly released images also show a number of background stars and two galaxies, known as IC 1048 and UGC 09485, both of which are about 370 billion times farther from New Horizons than Quaoar is, agency officials added.

As the Quaoar observations show, New Horizons' work did not end with the Pluto encounter. On Jan. 1, 2019, the probe will fly by an object called 2014 MU69, which lies about 1 billion miles (1.6 billion km) beyond Pluto.

The 2014 MU69 flyby, which is the centerpiece of a mission extension approved by NASA last month, should help researchers better understand the diversity of objects in the Kuiper Belt, the large, frigid realm beyond Neptune's orbit. (At an estimated 13 to 25 miles, or 21 to 40 km, wide, 2014 MU69 is very different from Pluto, which measures 1,473 miles, or 2,370 km, across.)

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Our Interstellar Neighbors: 5 Potentially Earth-Like Planets Nearby

http://www.space.com/33952-five-nearest-earth-like-alien-planets.html

A possibly Earth-like planet has been found within the habitable zone of humanity's closest stellar neighbor, Proxima Centauri, and astronomers think the world could potentially support life. 

While there is still a lot to learn about this newfound world, called Proxima Centauri b or just Proxima b, astronomers are sure of a few things: The Earth-like rocky exoplanet is 4.2 light-years away; its minimum mass is 1.3 times that of the Earth, and it orbits Proxima Centauri every 11.2 days.

Astronomers also said that Proxima b lies within the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, which means the planet orbits a safe distance from the star, making it neither too hot or too cold. Because of this, astronomers said that Proxima b may have suitable surface temperature that would allow for the presence of liquid water, meaning the exoplanet could support some sort of life. [Proxima b: Closest Earth-Like Planet Discovery in Pictures]

"We know very little about these [types of] planets," Thomas Barclay, senior research scientist and director of the Kepler and K2 missions, told Space.com. NASA's orbiting Kepler Space Telescope has identified more than 2,000 confirmed planets around other stars based on changes in the stars' brightness. "For some of them, we know an approximate mass or an approximate radius, and we know roughly how far they are from their star — but that's really all we know." 

With the discovery of Proxima b, here are five other potentially Earth-like planets that astronomers have previously found in Earth's interstellar neighborhood:

Wolf 1061c

This exoplanet is located about 13.8 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus, making it the second-closest known potentially habitable planet to Earth, after Proxima b.

Wolf 1061c lies within the habitable zone of the red dwarf star called Wolf 1061, according to a 2015 study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The exoplanet takes about 17.9 days to complete one orbit around its parent star. Its estimated mass is about 4.3 times that of Earth. Wolf 1061c is thought to be a rocky planet, which means it may be able to support life as we know it. 

Gliese 832c

This alien world is slightly farther from Earth, but it exhibits many similar traits that suggest it may be able to support life, too. 

Gliese 832c is located just 16 light-years from Earth and lies within the habitable zone of a red dwarf star called Gliese 832. This exoplanet completes one orbit around its star in 36 days. 

This is an artistic representation of the potentially habitable exoplanet Gliese 832 c compared to Earth. Gliese 832 c is represented here as a larger, temperate world covered in clouds.

Credit: PHL @UPR Arecibo

Gliese 832c is what astronomers call a "super-Earth," because it is at least five times as massive as Earth. It was actually the second planet found around the star Gliese 832. However, the other one, Gliese 832b, is a gas giant that is likely unable to support life. 

Gliese 667Cc

This exoplanet is also considered a "super-Earth," because it is at least 3.9 times more massive than Earth. It orbits the red dwarf Gliese 667C, which is part of a three-star system that lies 22 light-years away, in the constellation Scorpius.

Gliese 667Cc also lies within the habitable zone of its parent star and takes about 28 days to complete one orbit. Astronomers announced the discovery of this alien world in 2011. It was found using the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) 3.6-meter telescope in Chile. 

TRAPPIST-1d

This exoplanet orbits around an ultracool dwarf star known as TRAPPIST-1, which lies approximately 40 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Aquarius. TRAPPIST-1d also resides within the habitable zone around its star.

Astronomers announced the discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 system on May 2, 2016. This alien solar system has three potentially Earth-like planets that orbit the dwarf star. 

A star system known as TRAPPIST-1 has three potentially Earth-like planets in its orbit. This is an artist's impression of the TRAPPIST-1 star system as seen from one of the three alien planets.

Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

Scientists found the TRAPPIST-1 star system and planets using the TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope) instrument at the La Silla Observatory in Chile, which is operated by the ESO. 

Gliese 163c

This exoplanet also appears potentially habitable and is located 49 light-years from Earth, in the Dorado constellation. Gliese 163c isapproximately seven times the mass of Earth, earning it the title of a "super-Earth." 

It lies within the habitable zone around a red dwarf star known as Gliese 163 and takes 26 days to complete one orbit. Gliese 163c is one of two alien planets found orbiting the star Gliese 163. Astronomers found this planet using the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), which is mounted on the ESO telescope located at the La Silla Observatory. 

Living on these planets

Since Proxima b is so close to Proxima Centauri, the exoplanet likely has one side that constantly faces the star, similar to how the moon always shows the same face to Earth. Astronomers suggest that Proxima Centauri's gravitational pull likely forced Proxima b to become "tidally locked" to the star in this way, so the world has one illuminated side and one dark side. 

If that is the case, any life on the Proxima b would be very restricted due to extreme temperature variations between the dark and light side, Barclay explained. 

"There would likely be enormous winds on these planets," Barclay said. "When you have hot areas [on the sunlit side] and cold areas [on the dark side] on a planet, the hot part of the atmosphere moves the cold part, which would produce very strong and fast winds."

As a result, life on an exoplanet like Proxima b would be very different from what humans experience on Earth. 

"The light also isn't the bright white-yellow light we get from the sun. It would be much more red. So, you would expect biology to evolve differently," Barclay said, adding that solar flares from red dwarfs could also have a large impact on exoplanets orbiting them. 

"We see solar flares [from the sun] occasionally, but they don't really impact life on Earth all that much," Barclay said. On the other hand, "Proxima Centauri is thought to have a flare every 20 minutes." 

However, astronomers are still unsure what damage solar flares could cause.  

"What we have learned when we look at biology on Earth is that life seems to find a way. Life adapts," Barclay said. "We might find life to be extremely different on these planets, just because it has had to adapt to a very different environment."

[casey a]

Brown dwarfs hiding in plain sight in our solar neighborhood

http://phys.org/news/2016-09-brown-dwarfs-plain-sight-solar.html

"Everyone will benefit from the study of brown dwarfs, because they can often be found in isolation, which means that we can more easily gather precise data on their properties without a bright star blinding our instruments," Gagné said, who is also a collaborator of the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) at Université de Montréal.

(the implication being that the sun would be blinding our instruments, if a supposed brown dwarf was near it)

To that end, the team, led by Jasmin Robert of Université de Montréal, believed that although hundreds of ultracool brown dwarfs have already been discovered, the techniques used to identify them were overlooking those with more-unusual compositions, which would not show up in the color-based surveys generally used.

So they surveyed 28 percent of the sky and discovered 165 ultracool brown dwarfs, about a third of which have unusual compositions or other peculiarities...  

"The search for ultracool brown dwarfs in the neighborhood of our own Solar System is far from over," said Gagné. "Our findings indicate that many more are hiding in existing surveys."

(Zetas right again!! Didnt the zetas say that the scientific community will look like they missed Nibiru & "happen to find it" by going through previous surveys??)

[casey a]

Astronomers just discovered two of the closest-orbiting twin stars ever

http://www.sciencealert.com/astronomers-just-discovered-two-of-the-...

And this isn't just any old binary star system – these stars, called HD 133131A and HD 133131B, are the the closest-orbiting twin stars that scientists have ever found in a binary system where both the stars host planets.

That might not sound close to you and me, but for a binary star, it's pretty intimate, all things considered, with the next comparable closest binary system having a separation of around 1,000 AU between its two stars.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

This from MSN News

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/barack-obama-will-reveal-alien-...

Barack Obama 'will reveal alien and UFO details held by the US before he leaves office'

[SongStar101]

'Strong signal' stirs interest in hunt for alien life

http://phys.org/news/2016-08-strong-alien-life.html

A "strong signal" detected by a radio telescope in Russia that is scanning the heavens for signs of extraterrestrial life has stirred interest among the scientific community.

"No one is claiming that this is the work of an extraterrestrial civilization, but it is certainly worth further study," said Paul Gilster, author of the Centauri Dreams website which covers peer-reviewed research on deep space exploration.

The signal is from the direction of a HD164595, a star about 95 light-years from Earth.

The star is known to have at least one planet, and may have more.

The observation is being made public now, but was actually detected last year by the RATAN-600 radio telescope in Zelenchukskaya, Russia, he said.

Experts say it is far too early to know what the signal means or where, precisely,it came from.

"But the signal is provocative enough that the RATAN-600 researchers are calling for permanent monitoring of this target," wrote Gilster.

The discovery is expected to feature in discussions at the 67th International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, on September 27.

"Working out the strength of the signal, the researchers say that if it came from an isotropic beacon, it would be of a power possible only for a Kardashev Type II civilization," Gilster wrote, referring to a scale-system that indicates a civilization far more advanced than our own.

"If it were a narrow beam signal focused on our Solar System, it would be of a power available to a Kardashev Type I civilization," indicating one closer to Earth's capabilities.

Gilster, who broke the story on August 27, said he had seen a presentation on the matter from Italian astronomer Claudio Maccone.

"Permanent monitoring of this target is needed," said the presentation.

Nick Suntzeff, a Texas A&M University astronomer told the online magazine Ars Technica that the 11 gigahertz signal was observed in part of the radio spectrum used by the military.

"If this were a real astronomical source, it would be rather strange," Suntzeff was quoted as saying.

"God knows who or what broadcasts at 11Ghz, and it would not be out of the question that some sort of bursting communication is done between ground stations and satellites," Suntzeff said.

"I would follow it if I were the astronomers, but I would also not hype the fact that it may be at SETI signal given the significant chance it could be something military."

[SongStar101]

Home from home: Scientists may have discovered an Earth-like planet with water

https://www.rt.com/viral/356189-earth-like-planet-water/

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) is reportedly set to announce the discovery of a new “Earth-like” planet at the end of August. The unnamed planet is thought to have liquid water on its surface.

The as of yet unnamed planet orbits the small Proxima Centauri star, which, other than the sun, is the closest star to Earth, located only 4.25 lightyears away.

According to Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine, the exoplanet is located in the so called “Goldilocks zone” or “habitable zone,” meaning it orbits the star at a distance which would be favorable to having liquid water on the surface, which is vital for supporting life.

"Never before have scientists discovered a second Earth that is so close by," the report said, citing an unnamed source at the ESO, who themselves have neither confirmed or denied their rumored announcement.

"We were surprised to see the article in Der Spiegel and do not know the source," ESO spokesman Richard Hook told Space.com. "ESO has no further comment to make at present."

If true, the planet’s discovery will come just over a year after NASA found two other exoplanets outside the solar system - Kepler-452b and HD 219134b.