Chang, Kenneth. "Telescope to Seek Earthlike Planet in Alpha Centauri System." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Oct. 2016. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
I reviewed Kenneth Chang’s article, “Telescope to Seek Earthlike Planet in Alpha Centauri System”. The article begins by saying that a scientific research consortium is planning to build a telescope in an attempt to find Earthlike planets in the Alpha Centauri system, one of the solar systems closest to us. If scientists are able to find a “pale blue dot”, which would most likely be a world covered by oceans, then they can use the telescope to study it in detail looking for signs of life. The telescope is to be built by the end of the decade and will be used to look for Earth-size planets in the habitable zone, where temperatures could support life. Previously, most exoplanets have only been assumed when a dimming occurs when the planet passes between its star and Earth or by changes in the light’s wavelengths that are caused by the gravitational pull of an exoplanet. If scientists are able to photograph planets uses the telescope, they could start to look for specific wavelengths of light that would identify specific molecules. The predicted cost of the telescope, named Project Blue, is between $25 million and $50 million. This is, however, much cheaper than NASA’s mission with similar goals. Fundraising still remains an issue for Project Blue. Despite great hope that the project will find an Earthlike planet in the Alpha Centauri system, there is still a 15% chance that there is not an Earthlike planet to be found in the system. The project is planning to search other nearby stars as well to increase the probability of finding an Earthlike planet. This company, ACESat, may mark the start of more serious private space missions. Project Blue may not be easy, but it is possible.
If Project Blue is able to find Earthlike planets in the Alpha Centauri system, this could have many benefits for the future of the Earth. Humans are using up many of Earth’s natural resources, as well as overpopulating the planet. A new habitable planet could provide an escape from the deteriorating Earth we will on today. If spaceships and rockets get advanced enough in the future, Project Blue could provide us with an alternate planet to live on. Project Blue may also be able to find other forms of life in the universe. This would be able to confirm the belief by many that other species throughout the universe exist. It would open up so many new research projects. It would help us learn about the world around us and the way different planets live. Also, if Project Blue is successful, it may open up the opportunity of many more private space programs. This would allow those not qualified for NASA to have an opportunity to have a prominent role in discovering the universe.
Overall, I thought the article was well-written and interesting. I liked how the article really got me thinking about what it would be like if we found another habitable planets and maybe even other forms of life. I also liked how the article also talked about some of the negatives of the project, such as the cost and the potential for failure. This made the article appear unbiased. However, the author could have done a better job explaining some of the scientific terms. For example, when the author was explaining how exoplanets had been discovered before, he said the wavelength varied due to the gravitational pull of the exoplanet. When I first read this, I had no idea what this meant and I’m sure many other readers didn’t either. To improve the article, he could further explain his ideas to make them less confusing. I also would have liked if he had given examples of what we could do with the knowledge of another habitable planet, so the project would seem even more important. In conclusion, I found Kenneth Chang’s article extremely interesting but could be improved in some areas.
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