Overbye, Dennis. "Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets That Could Be Like Earth."The New York Times. N.p., 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.
The article I read, “Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets That Could Be Like Earth,” by Dennis Overbye, discussed the discovery that we have around 40 billion known planets that are similar to earth. These planets are defined as being approximately earth-sized, circling a sun-sized star, with moderate temperatures, and getting within ½ to 4 times as much sunlight as earth does. NASA had a spaceship, the Kepler, keeping track of this data, which was launched four years ago. It had discovered over 3,500 such planets and gathered the data to project the total to over 40 billion before its mechanical failure in May. Stars which the closest planets orbit, “would be visible to the naked eye,” said Erik Petigura, a graduate student at UC Berkley who has written extensively on the topic. These closest planets might even be 12 light years away, which would be close enough for us to study.
Finding planets similar to earth that we can study is groundbreaking. Geoffrey Marcy, who oversaw Petigura’s work, even felt that, “this is the most important work I’ve ever been involved with.” We can see how planets that are further along than our earth function, predict where we might be headed as a planet, and better understand our planet. With similar conditions to those of earth, these planets might also host life. It is statistically improbable that we are the only living beings in the universe, and the recent findings that there are at least over 40 billion similar planets leads many to believe there is a good chance we are on the track to finding other habitable and habited planets.
I would have liked to know more about the Kepler craft--its original mission and further examples of what data it collected. I’d also like to know why it malfunctioned, why can’t we fix it, and what kind of setback does it present us with. I did enjoy the article’s speculation, but the author could have utilized more facts in order to more support his ideas and the conclusions he drew. However, overall he did a good job of explaining what happened and its significance in simple terms.
After reading Morgan Taylor’s summary on the article “Cosmic Census Finds Billion of Planets That Could Be Like Earth,” I now know so much more about recent findings in space. First of all, I really liked how Morgan included specific details, such as similar size, moderate temperature, getting within ½ to 4 times as much sunlight as earth does, and circling a sun-sized star, about why the 40 billion planets that were recently found are compared to the earth. These comparisons made the argument have some evidence and it is important for the reader to know this evidence. Also, I liked how Morgan organized the review in thee succinct paragraphs with the one explaining the article, one explaining the importance of the article, and one containing a personal reflection. Speaking of the reflection, I thought Morgan’s was very interesting to read because instead of just complimenting the article, she gave some constructive criticism. For example, she said that she would have liked to known more about the Kepler craft.
ReplyDeleteMorgan did a great job explaining the main idea of the article, however, I wish she talked about the positive critique of the article as well as the negative critique. In my opinion, she focused on only one area in her reflection. Also, at some points in the review, it was hard to follow because she left out certain parts of information in the article, such as the Kepler malfunction. However, overall she did a pretty good job trying to succinctly summarize the article in simple terms.
Finally, one really interesting fact in the article that I hadn’t of thought of before was that finding planets similar to earth farther along in its life span could tell us the future of our planet. That is a really cool idea and would be interesting to learn more about. Overall, I enjoyed reading about this topic and thought Morgan did a great job.
I think Morgan did a really good job with her review. The topic was very interesting to me, and she did a good job summarizing the article. I felt like I understood the topic, and didn’t have very many questions. I liked how Morgan emphasized how important this discovery is to us. There is so much we can do with this information, and it’s really exciting to think about the possibility of life on other planets, and how the different environments of those planets could have an effect on how life evolved. I also liked Morgan’s question about the Keplar craft. I had the same question about what went wrong and why we can’t fix it. At the end of the article on scientist is quoted, “Kepler is dead and we have no way to get any further data.” I’m glad that Morgan brought up this question because I think it is an important one. I think this is an important step forward in science and we should explore it more, not just accept that we have no more incoming data.
ReplyDeleteI wish Morgan had talked more about the possibility of life on other worlds. She talks about the physical aspects of the other planets, like how they evolved and how that could teach us about how Earth may evolve in the future, but she doesn’t talk much about actual living organisms being on those planets. In addition, I think she should have talked more about the difficulties behind estimating how many Earth-like planets there are. The article goes into more detail, and I found it interesting how many of their findings were extrapolated from a smaller set of data.
The thing that I found most interesting about this article was the possibility of life on other planets. It’s something that I have never really believed in, because aliens and UFOs seem like the things of sci-fi movies, but this article and review brought to my attention just how many planets there are out there, and how it statistically likely that at least one of them has life on it. This life is probably unlike what humans have invented in movies, but it is life just the same. It would be groundbreaking if we discovered something as small as one simple bacterium on another planet, because that would mean we are not alone in the universe.
I think that my peer, Morgan Taylor’s review of the article, Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets That Could Be Like Earth, was a great summary and description of an already great article. One thing I think Morgan did particularly well was the incorporation of quotes from the original article. She really drew a lot from the NY Times article and it helped the reader get a sense of what she was feeling. Another thing I think she did exceptionally well was giving a very elaborate and detailed summary of the original article. Reading both the review and the article, I saw that Morgan truly left no stone unturned and was very thorough in her review. A final thing I think that Morgan did well was raising thought provoking questions, near the end of her review. Everything she was feeling, I felt strongly about. This article was very intriguing and I thought about everything that she did.
ReplyDeleteOne-way I think Morgan could have improved her review was maybe talking about the past research and discoveries in the field of space that has been discovered. I think that maybe giving some background the space adventure would have been nice. Additionally, one extra thing Morgan could have added is talking about where we go from here. I am interested in seeing where this research leads us and I cannot wait to see what we find on these planets.
I learned all about these new planets that have been discovered and are vastly similar to our own planet. I have always been drawn to the topic of space and extra terrestrial life. I cannot to see what is discovered and I hope we are not alone in this extensive and vast universe.
I found the article, “Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets that could be like Earth,” to be very interesting and I learned many new things about space exploration after reading it. Morgan did a nice job writing a clear and concise review that summarized the major points of the article and included personal insight. One aspect of Morgan’s review that I thought was particularly well done was the incorporation of specific quotes and facts. Morgan included quotes providing the insight of experts on the topic. Another part of the review that I liked was the inclusion of numbers and figures. This created a visual image of the vastness of the amount of planets that could be similar to our very own planet Earth. I also think that Morgan did a good job providing her own personal opinion of the article. She said that she would like to know more about the Kepler craft and why it may have malfunctioned beyond repair. I agree with Morgan; I am also curious as to what the issue is with the Kepler craft.
ReplyDeleteOne way in which Morgan could have improved her review of the article is explaining what the Kepler craft was. After reading her review, I was a bit confused about what exactly happened to the craft and what its role was before the problem started. Other than that, I think Morgan wrote a very good review. Her statement, “it is statistically improbable that we are the only living beings in the universe, and the recent findings that there are at least over 40 billion similar planets leads many to believe there is a good chance we are on the track to finding other habitable and habited planets,” really sparked my interest in the topic and made me want to learn more about it.
A fact that a found really interesting from the article was that some of the closest planets similar to our own may be 12 light years away, which would be close enough for us to study. This could be revolutionary, and could maybe one day lead to the discovery of life beyond Earth.
Morgan’s summary of the article was very well done. She used a lot of specific numbers in her general summary of the data that the Kepler has collected thus far. She was very analytical when thinking about what she wished the article had included, many of which I actually shared with her, especially concerning the malfunctioning of the Kepler’s pointing system in completing its prime survey. She also used quotes from the NY Times article appropriately and didn’t overwhelm her summary.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I wish Morgan could’ve done was discussed her own opinion on the possibility of life in other planets. Statistically, it seems nearly impossible that there isn’t life on some other planet out there, but it’s still hard to wrap my mind around it, and it would’ve been interesting to hear about a peer’s opinion. Also, perhaps some background information on how past information had been collected would’ve been interesting, just to tie all the ends together.
I have always thought of the idea of foreign life in space a very abstruse idea- how could they determine if there is even life? Space is constantly expanding and with an improbable amount of stars and planets, it seems almost impossible to locate a specific planet that could have life like Earth but Morgan’s article opened my eyes to how scientists are narrowing down their search, such as looking for that perfect “Goldilocks Zone”, which I have never thought of.
I found this article to be extremely interesting and thought provoking, and I felt that Morgan did a great job in reviewing it. First, I felt that she presented the information pertaining to the 40 billion known planets that are similar to Earth with great description. She explained how they are approximately Earth-sized, circling a sun-sized star, with moderate temperatures, and getting within ½ to 4 times as much sunlight as earth does. Next, I felt that she was successful in presenting how important this new discovery is. She included a quote from a scientist, Geoffrey Marcy that said, “This is the most important work I’ve ever been involved with.” Lastly, Morgan included interesting information that truly caused one to think a lot about the universe we live in. She stated that it is statistically improbable that we are the only living beings in the universe. One suggestion on how this review could have been made better would have been to get a full understanding on how she really felt about this new discovery. After reading this, I didn’t feel that I knew her real opinion on this topic. Also, I felt that Morgan could have expanded on how exactly we could take this information and predict where we might be headed as a planet. This is the most interesting article and review I have read so far. I find it so cool to think that there could be other planets similar to us that are thousands of years ahead of us or thousands of years behind, and what exactly they consist of. I always find myself thinking about what else is out there, and this new information has narrowed down some of my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI though Morgan's article "Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets That Could Be Like Earth" was very interesting as it outlines the possibility of finding other living beings in the universe. I think Morgan did a great job reviewing the article as she touched on all of the major points of the article and she supported her argument with sufficient quotations. She was very clear in her presentation of the data especially when she stated that "being approximately earth-sized, circling a sun-sized star, with moderate temperatures, and getting within ½ to 4 times as much sunlight as earth does". She provides factual evidence that is easily understood by the readers. However, the only downfall in this review is that Morgan did not provide enough personal insight on how she viewed the astronomical breakthrough. I would have like her to touch upon her own reactions to the possibility of other life in the universe and how it would effect our lives on earth. Another point i would have like Morgan to question, is that even though some stars that may be only 12 light years away and could be seen by the naked eye, is there any hope of getting a closer look at such stars?
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing to think that there is a possibility of other life forms in the universe, I constantly find myself wondering if the day will every come that we come in contact with such life forms? Morgan really opened my eyes to the possibility of this one day coming true.
Morgan Taylor is a good job in summarizing the article, “Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets That Could Be Like Earth.” The title alone is enough to spark most people’s interest. I assume that when people hear this they assume that there are other humans in the universe which is a fun thought. This finding though is incredible. I believe Morgan did a great job in choosing her article. Another great aspect of Morgan’s summary was the incredible use of details. When describing other earth like planets she is defining what earth-like means: ½ -4 times the sunlight, size, circling a sun, temperature. This enables us as the reader to picture the types of planets that are being looking at. A third thing Morgan did well is that she incorporated useful quotes. The most notable of the quotes was from Geoffrey Marcy who said “this is the most important work I’ve ever been involved with.” This augments the belief that finding planets like earth is of vital importance.
ReplyDeleteOne area where Morgan could have improved was that the summary could have been a little longer. After reading it I felt I did not have a through explanation on what the article stated. The main issue is what happened to the Kepler space craft? This amazing space explorer is now malfunctioned and we do not know why. A second thing Morgan could have improved on was explaining how this information will lead us into the future. I understand that it will help us study what type of planet earth will become, but how will we use that information?
The most interesting thing I learned from Morgan’s summary was the fact that there is a strong statistical certainty that there are other species in the universe. The science fiction tv shows and movies of aliens almost seem to become closer to reality.
I really liked how Morgan picked out a very interesting topic. Space exploration is often a field that is not talked about very often in biology class, but I find it absolutely fascinating. The night sky holds a world of untouched possibilities that are left for us to explore day and night. I also liked how she explained the article so clearly. I found the details about how similar the planets were to earth extremely helpful. Finally, I appreciated how Morgan pointed out the practical application for us today, and how important this discovery was to science.
ReplyDeleteMorgan did a great job overall, but I wish she could have included what future research and explorations in this field might entail. I wasn’t sure what the next step was to follow up with these new discoveries. I also wished that she could have let us what 12 light years meant to us. She said that that was close enough to study, but I was not sure if that meant we could look at them from a high power telescope or if we could actually send a mission there.
I thought this discovery was especially intriguing since the possibility of different forms of life had never occurred to me in reality. Obviously, there are lots of movies and science fiction books about aliens, but those were always in the fantasy world for me.
After reading Morgan’s review of the article, “Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets That Could Be Like Earth,” I have learned many new things about the possibility of there being a planet like ours and what kind of research is going into the exploration of extraterrestrial life. One of the things that I thought Morgan did very well was give background information on the project and substantiate her claims with facts. For example, she used the fact that there could 40 billion planets similar to Earth effectively through her review. Another aspect of her review that I found well-done was her organization of her review. I think that she clearly stated her findings and realizations after reading her article. A final part of her review that I enjoyed was her conclusion, where she recapped what she had stated earlier, and inquired into future possibilities.
ReplyDeleteDespite all the good things about the review, there were a couple of areas that I think could have been improved. For one, I think she could have used a little more direct quotes from the article, to go along with what she asserted she read about. This would have helped strengthen her findings even more. I also think that her middle paragraph could have been stronger. I did not feel as though there was anything substantially different from the first paragraph, and I think she could have utilized her second paragraph better. One thing that I learned from the review is that “some of these planets are only 12 light years away, which is close enough for us to study.” Before reading this article, I would not have guessed that, even if there were planets like Earth, they would be close enough for us to study.
I read Morgan Taylor’s current event report on the article entitled “Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets That Could Be Like Earth.” Morgan’s report was very well done. She did a good job summarizing what the article said. She did not leave out key facts. However, she also did not include too much information that would be overwhelming for the reader. In addition, I thought that Morgan did a good job choosing which quotes to include in her review and integrated them nicely. For example, Morgan chose to include a quote form Erik Petigura, a graduate student at UC Berkley who has written extensively on the topic. Also, the blog post included very few grammatical errors. It was clear that Morgan proofed her work thoroughly to make sure there were no mistakes. In addition, Morgan did a nice job addressing both what the article did well and what it could have improved on. For example, she wrote, “I did enjoy the article’s speculation, but the author could have utilized more facts in order to more support his ideas and the conclusions he drew.” Overall, I think that Morgan made the report interesting while providing a nice summary of the article.
ReplyDeleteThe blog contained many good facts and interesting analysis. However, she could have improved the blog. For example, although Morgan writes in detail about the physical aspects of the other planets, I wish she would have talked more about the possibility of life on other planets. I think this would have made her report much more interesting. In addition, I wish Morgan talked more about the next step and how this information can be used in the future. She does state that by using this information, “we can see how planets that are further along than our earth function, predict where we might be headed as a planet, and better understand our planet.” However, she never explains what steps need to be taken to make this happen. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the blog since I learned a lot from it concerning this new discovery.
I think that Morgan’s current event report was well done and included many interesting facts. I was especially surprised that there are around 40 billion known planets that are similar to earth. In addition, I thought that it was very interesting how the closest planets similar to our own may be 12 light years away, which would be close enough for us to study. Overall, I think that Morgan did a very nice job.
Morgan did a great job reviewing “Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets That Could Be Like Earth”. One thing I think she did especially well was her second paragraph. I thought the quote was very strong and it fit perfectly. I also thought her sentence, “It is statistically improbable that we are the only living beings in the universe...” had a huge impact and brought a great point to the summary. Another aspect I thought was well presented was how she would’ve liked more information about the Kepler craft. I completely agree with that statement because I don’t know anything about it and more background information would’ve helped me understand the article better. The details Morgan used throughout the whole summary was beneficial. I thought it added another layer of understanding to the topic, besides just listing facts.
ReplyDeleteEven though I thought she did a phenomenal job, I would’ve liked her to use another strong quote or two. I thought one of them was really strong but the other didn’t add anything to the summary, and it was unnecessary. The only other thing I thought Morgan could’ve done to improve this summary was the expand on the idea that it is improbable that we are the only living things in the universe. I just find it so fascinating I would’ve liked a few more sentences on it.
Even though I knew there was a possibility of life on other planets, I didn’t realize how they can help scientists predict the possible future of Earth. I hope that a lot of information will be found and shared with the public in the near future because I have absolutely no idea what will happen to the Earth in the next few years, or in the far future.
I read Morgan's article about the discovery of many, many planets that we found in space that are very similar to our planet Earth. I thought that Morgan's analysis of the article she chose was very well done and precise. She did a great job explaining what the article was talking about-which was how scientists have discovered about 40 billion plants in space that are relatively or very similar to the planet Earth. She explained this by giving a multitude of numbers and statistics that were found by these scientists, which helped me to know certain aspects to a great extent. She also included specific qoutes which also helped me to know how the scientists felt about the discovery. I also liked how she connected it to how this discovery affects or will affect our Earth. For example, she stated that the discovery of all the planets similar to our own may have enable us to figure out what will or will not help our own planet. Also in her anaylisis she talked abbout how some of these planets were found, which was by the Keplar space craft. She noted that it discovered about 3,500 of the 40 billion planets and then used those planets to find the other billions of planets that had the same characteristics. Although I liked this, I wish she would've went into more detail on how the Keplar space craft was abble to achieve what it did. How did it find those planets? How did it use the plamets it found to discover the other billlions of planets? Other than that small detail, Morgan did a great job on her analysis. It gave good and enticing insight to a very interesting topic. I chose this article because the title drew me in right away. I have always been interested in the outerspace outside of our world so when I saw this article I wanted to read it right away. Once I started reading it I became even more interested. I had no idea that there were so many planets like the one we live on today. This is almost exciting to me because it means that there may be a possibility that there are more planets out there that are able or may be already habitable. There may be more life out there then the life we know now, which is mindblowing.
ReplyDeleteI thought the article “Cosmic Census Finds Billions of Planets That Could Be Like Earth,” by Dennis Overbye was thought provoking and scientifically interesting. Morgan did an excellent job of reviewing such a polemical article and handled this review of this astounding issue quite well. This article was slightly complex and Morgan did a great job of making this article sound exciting and interesting. I think Morgan did a great job of simplifying the overall idea of the article to make the main concepts of the article stand out. That way I was able to get a pretty good feel for the article just from reading Morgan’s review. Furthermore, Morgan’s writing was clear and effective. She got to the heart of the article quite eloquently. Lastly, Morgan’s connection of this article to the world today and what this discovery means for scientists around the world made me question what science really means and got me thinking about how far science has come.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Morgan’s review was great there are some things that she could improve on. For instance, Morgan could have gone into more detail on a couple of the planets that were recently discovered. In addition, there were some minor grammatical errors in her writing that could be corrected to make the reading even smoother. However, overall I felt that Morgan’s writing and review of this article was excellent.
From this article I learned that on the whole it is very hard to study planets in depth especially since often scientists aren’t able to see them. In the future, with better technology and new discoveries such as those made of the planets, we will be able to know our solar system even better than we know it now.