Overbye, Dennis. "Two Earth-Size Planets Are Discovered." New York Times. 20 Dec. 2011. Web. 20 Dec. 2011.
This article discusses the discovery of two planets that are of similar size to Earth by the Kepler Spacecraft. These planets, although similar in size to Earth and Venus, are in a location too close to their star and are thus inhabitable. However the discovery of these planets, known as Kepler 20e and Kepler 20f, sets a precedent that the Kepler Spacecraft is able to discover planets that are similar size to Earth. These planets are found by watching the stars of these planets and detecting the blinks that the planets make as they pass in front of the star. Unfortunately, these planets are located within a zone that is far too hot to have human life with Kepler 20e roasting at a temperature of about 1400 degrees Fahrenheit and Kepler 20f at around 800 degrees. Kepler 20f is also about 8,200 miles in diameter, very similar to Earth’s diameter, and Kepler 20e is smaller and closer to Venus’ size. However these planets have encouraged astronomers and made them excited for the future. Geoffrey Marcy, a member of the Kepler team, said the discovery was, “a watershed moment in human history.” These discoveries are extremely hopeful for the future of the Kepler project to not only discover more planets like ours in size but to also find habitable planets in the “goldilocks” or the distance from the star where conditions are temperate enough for water and life. Clearly these discoveries are important to the typical person because it means that we are not far off from discovering habitable planets where we may live one day or we may discover other forms of life. No matter what these discoveries certainly have astronomers excited and hopeful for the future of these projects.
This article was concise and interesting. It clearly stated exactly what these discoveries mean and just how significant they are to the reader. Unfortunately the author did not appear to have much specifics on the topic and left the reader searching for more information on the topic. Perhaps after more information is found there will be a follow-up article where all the details of this fascinating topic are discovered. Either way this article was interesting and kept me interested throughout.
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ReplyDeleteI thought that Brendan did a very good job reviewing his article "Two Earth-Size Planets Are Discovered." Not only was the topic of the article very interesting, but he summarized it in a way that made it very easy to get a quick gist of the article. One aspect of Brendan's review that was done very well was his explaining what the scientists discovered and how they did so. He explained very well about how they discovered planets similar to Earth's size but still uninhabitable due to temperatures using the Kepler Spacecraft. Another aspect of Brendan's review that was done very well was his explaining why these discoveries were important. He clearly detailed that the now proven ability of this spacecraft to identify planets similar to Earth's size shows us that it may soon find such planets with life. One final thing that Brendan did very well was tell about what his article could have improved upon. He clearly said that it could have given more specifics. While Brendan did do a very good job reviewing his article, one aspect he could have improved was to explain whether this was the first time we have found such planets or not. One other aspect of his review that he could have improved upon was to include more quotes from the article or from scientists cited in the article so as to give his review more support. In my opinion, the most interesting part of Brendan's review was the mention of the "Goldilocks," because I didn't know there was a given area for the zone where conditions were suitable for life. Overall, Brendan did an exceptional job reviewing his article.
ReplyDeleteBrendan chose an interesting article and did a good job reviewing it. He provided the sizes of the newfound planets Kepler 20e and Kepler 20f, making helpful comparisons to other planets. He also included an interesting quote that gave the review credibility. Lastly, Brendan thoroughly explained the fascinating way in which these planets are detected—by looking for the blinks a planet makes as it passes in front of its star.
ReplyDeleteTo improve his review, Brendan could have given more background on the Kepler spacecraft. Also, I feel that he could have given the date when the Kepler spacecraft began searching for earth-like planets, because the reader was left in the dark about whether or not this was Kepler's first discovery.
Prior to reading this review I've seen articles about the discovery of planets which have almost optimal life conditions, or fit into the “goldilocks” standard. In recent years, as the technology to detect these planets has improved, a multitude of these planets have been discovered and it seems inevitable that in years to come a perfect goldilocks planet will be found.
Brendan’s review of "Two Earth-Size Planets Are Discovered" was both engaging and informative. His commentary on these two new celestial bodies that have been discovered was well done and gave the reader a good idea of what is going on. One thing that Brendan excelled at was informing us exactly what was discovered and how it was discovered. Another aspect of Brendan’s review that was well done was his explanation of why these discoveries are important and what precedent these discoveries set for the future. A final positive aspect of Brendan’s review was his critique of the author and his suggestions for what could have been done better.
ReplyDeleteWhile Brendan’s review was extremely well done, there were a couple of things that he could have improved on. First, Brendan should have described what other similar planets have already been discovered and what their implications are for this research. Second, it would have been much more informative if Brendan had described what conditions need to be met for a planet to be able to support life.
Easily the most interesting part of this article was the implications of having spacecraft patrol the universe for planets similar to Earth and capable of supporting life. Overall this review was well done and it will be extremely interesting to see what future celestial bodies are discovered.
Brendan’s review of the article, “Two Earth-Size Planets Are Discovered” was very well written. One thing that Brendan did a good job of was explaining what the Kepler Spacecraft was able to discover, and what these two planets Kepler 20e and Kepler 20f are like. Brendan also did a good job of explaining why these two planets are such an important discovery as well as how they are the same size as Earth but are far too close to their star for sustainable life. He also pointed out how the author could have offered even more details on the discovery. One thing that Brendan could have done better would be to explain who was leading this research and who was responsible for this discovery. Also, Brendan could have mentioned some of the other planets that astronomers have found in the past that are both the same size as earth as well as in the, “goldilocks” zone. Overall, the most interesting part of this review was the fact that these two planets have been found simply by detecting the blinks that they make on their sun as the revolve around it. Perhaps even more planets like this will be discovered in the future.
ReplyDeleteBrendan wrote a great review of Dennis Overbye’s article, “Two Earth-Size Planets Are Discovered.” One of the strongest aspects of Brendan’s review is his explaination of how the Hepler Spacecraft was able to detect the distant planets; this is not common knowledge. Further, the approximate size of the earth is not as common knowledge as well and Brendan’s citation of the size and temperature of these planets really helps to clarify the article. I also believe that Brendan did a good job of applying the article he read to an “everyday” perspective, addressing the inevitable curiosity an individual would have.
ReplyDeleteBrendan could improve upon his article as well. When he writes, “[they] are in location too close to their star” and are in a “zone,” does this mean they are within their own solar system with other planets as well? Or, what size is the star they are orbiting? I feel that a little more information on that topic would really improve the article. Also, I would like to know more about the team who are involved with the Kepler Spacecraft. Specifically, what organization and what position, exactly, does Geoffrey Marcy hold?
Overall, I do think Brendan reviewed a very interesting article. The title certainly caught my eye. I was unaware of the term a “goldilocks” zone and found it very interesting. I really hope that scientists are able to discover more and habitable places of life.
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ReplyDeleteBrendan’s review of the article, “Two Earth-Size Planets Are Discovered” was very well done. One of the best parts of Brendan’s review was how he explained how the Hepler Spacecraft was able to detect the distant planets. He was able to put the complex language into simpler terms. Also, Brendan’s use of the size and temperature of these planets really helps to clarify the article so that people can understand the earth in comparison to these planets, and how they are not capable of living environments. In addition, Brendan does a good job at touching on the effect that it will have in the future, which is uncertain but hopeful.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Brendan did a very good job, he could still improve his review. He repeatedly writes that these stars are hopeful for the future. While this is interesting and optimistic, he does not specify exactly why this is hopeful. Also, he did not specify who Geoffry exactly was, he simply stated that he was part of the Kepler team. He could have been a very low-ranked member who did not participate in the project as much which could have shaped his answer.
Overall, I think Brendan chose a very interesting article to review. The most interesting part in my opinion was the fact that there are actually two other planets that are about the size of earth. Although they are burning at an unbearable temperature, it is interesting that they do in fact exist.
Maddy Foley
ReplyDelete10.14.12
AP Biology
Comment #3
I read a review by Brendan Walsh from last year, on the article “Two Earth-Size Planets Are Discovered,” by Dennis Overbye. The reviewer included a few good elements helping to make the article more interesting and understandable. Firstly, I think the reviewer did a good job in describing the significance of this discovery. While many people would derive from the title of this article that the discovery could mean the existance of life on these two planets, the review points out that this assumption is false because of close perimeter of a star to the planets. However, there is significance in this discovery because it set a precedent that the Kepler Spacecraft can discover planets with a similar size to Earth. The discovery has provided hope for scientific research in the future, as scientists believe they will discover more Earth-like sized planets and possibly habitable planets. Secondly, I think the including of statistical information was beneficial to the review. The reviewer noted that Kepler 20f is about 8,200 diameters and around 800 degrees, while Kepler 20f is a bit smaller and gets to a sweltering 1400 degrees. These logistics helped to provide a clearer picture of these amazing new planets. Thirdly, the review included exactly how this discovery was made, through the observation of blinks made by the planets as they passed in front of the star. This provided a clearer picture into the actual process of these discoveries.
One thing I think the reviewer could have done better was to provide a more coherent understanding of the location of the planets in comparison to Earth. The star the planets orbit is about 950 light years away from Earth and the two planets orbit fairly close to the star. I also think the reviewer could have included an explantation on how these two planets were confirmed as Earth sized. As the article stated, of 2,326 potential planets discovered by Kepler, 270 could be Earth sized, however Kepler 20e and f are the first to be confirmed as Earth sized through further tests involving the Blender method, in which millions of computer simulation of background stars try to mimic Kepler’s signal.
I thought an interesting aspect of the review was the defining of the “goldilocks” planets or planets habitable because conditions are temperate enough for water and life. The discovery of such a planet would obviously mean leaps and bounds for astronomical science and the entire world.