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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Finding Life Beyond Earth on NOVA

19 October 2011

Preview here:



Only a matter of time before all is released - starting with Mars....but this will be a good show to watch.

[Centaur]

Oct 13, 2011 16:34:45 GMT -6 Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe said:

Only a matter of time before all is released

I suspect there is nothing hidden to later be released, Joe, and there may never be anything. Are you a conspiracy theorist? Do you have strong evidence to back your assertion? Or is this another example of Julius Caesar's observation that "people believe what they want to believe"?

[-=CROMAN=-]

Until you can prove that life in any form doesn't exist, the same could be said of your beliefs.

[Centaur]

Oct 14, 2011 13:24:18 GMT -6 -=CROMAN=- said:

Until you can prove that life in any form doesn't exist, the same could be said of your beliefs.

A scientist cannot prove a negative. No amount of time with negative results would satisfy the most steadfast proponents. I do not have a "belief" in the matter. It is up to others to present proof before my doubts will be overcome and I can accept their positive assertions. That is the scientific method. If that is properly followed and proof is obtained, I will salute the investigators and thank them for their findings.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Water flows on Mars, the sky is blue and fossils exist on the red planet.

Critters crawling about now?...perhaps.

Conspiracy... not at all.

[Centaur]

Oct 14, 2011 16:19:05 GMT -6 Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe said:

Water flows on Mars, the sky is blue and fossils exist on the red planet.

Critters crawling about now?...perhaps.

Conspiracy... not at all.

There may have been flowing water. That makes past life possible but not invevitable.

The sky is actually pinkish due to dust. Even if it were blue, that means nothing.

Fossils?

Sorry, Joe, I thought you might have been suggesting a government conspiracy to suppress evidence.

[patrickm]

I once had an employee who could never get my sardonic humor. She would constantly take offense when I would say the most outrageous and, to me, obviously hyperbolic statements. Finally, she suggested that I have a clown nose in my desk drawer that I could wear as a signifier for her. From then on, I could just say, "Clown nose, Lauren!" whenever I saw her getting too wound up. She would catch herself, breathe a bit, and usually chuckle. At her going away party, she gave me a small red box wrapped with a shiny ribbon & a little red bow. Inside was my very own foamy clown nose. I still have it.

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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Mars Fossil...

marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/1/m/034/1M131201618EFF0500P2933M2M1.HTML



The Martian atmosphere is more blue with tints of pink.

Very Earth-like.

[Centaur]

The link fails, Joe; what was it supposed to tell us? I see no fossil. What is the scale of the photo? Have any scientists described it as a fossil and provided sound reasoning, or just people who "want" to see one? This reminds me of those who imagined an artificially sculpted face in a martian hill. Both objects appear to have been sculpted by natural processes.

[erikruud]

Correct link: marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/1/m/034/1M131201618EFF0500P2933M2M1.HTML

[-=CROMAN=-]

"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." - Tom Spilker - JPL Engineer

[Paulie pchris00]

Mars can't have a blue sky. Sunrises and sunsets are bluish, but not the midday sky. There isn't enough nitrogen in the Martian atmosphere for a blue sky.

To settle this once and for all, I say we go there and find out. I will stand on Michigan Ave. with my hat in my hand collecting change to fund the mission. ;D

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

When the color is properly calibrated, frost is white, sky is blue and the American Flag on the rovers are vibrant red, white and blue...even with iron oxide in the atmosphere.

Makes for pretty sunsets.

[Paulie pchris00]

I still say we go find out. Spirit was a prankster.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I viewed the NOVA show.

It was ok...but dry.

They nudged the idea that the excessive Methane on Mars points most likely to the by-product of life....which is good...but fell short of any declaration.

A lot of the show was redundant and somebody should tell the director that the goof camera work - where you zoom in...search around - then zoom out..and then back in....only impresses the simple minded...and very annoying.

The content was not anything new, but the refresher was good to see and the graphics were fine.

Worth the viewing.

[RobbW]

Thanks for spoiling it for me, Joe! I have it DVRed and planned to watch it sometime after I get back from my cruise. What's th point now?!?!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Robb....

I did nod off for about 20 minutes during the second part...so perhaps there was a car chase or a mini-drama of control over the Keck scopes.

[erikruud]

Or maybe you missed the part where "The Face" winked back at us! ;D

[patrickm]

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I knew it.

[Paulie pchris00]

We're being watched.

[patrickm]

He has the Dearborn scope!
www.northwestern.edu/about/historic-moments/campus/dearborn-observatory.html

It's certainly operated the same way.

I posit that he's just watching Joe, as our scopes fall below his limiting magnitude.

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