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¶ … brown dwarf with a satellite planet was recently discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope; the implications of the discovery are discussed in a recent NASA-published article entitled "Astronomers Discover Beginnings of 'Mini' Solar System," online at < http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/starsgalaxies/spitzer-020705.html>. Also known as "failed stars," brown dwarfs are dim and rarely host solar systems. Because of their relatively small mass they cannot ignite and produce star light. However, brown dwarfs are also known as "super planets" because they often exist alone in space and are larger than most known planets.
The content of the article relates to many interrelated areas of cosmology and astronomy. First, the news clarifies the definition of brown dwarfs, of which relatively little is known because they are rare and dim. Also, if a brown dwarf can host a satellite planet then miniature solar systems could exist throughout space. The discovery also teaches fundamental concepts of astronomy such as basic definitions of stars, planets, solar systems, and moons.
For scientists, the article also illustrates how scientific nomenclature can quickly become outdated: the meanings of moon, planet, and of brown dwarf might be challenged as a result of finding a planet that revolves around a brown dwarf. The satellite planet could be categorized simply as a moon. "Astronomers Discover Beginnings of 'Mini' Solar System" is also significant because it might lend some insight into how solar systems are formed in general and how life evolves on planets. Because brown dwarfs are relatively dim and have less power than full-fledged stars, it would be difficult for life to form on nearby planets, which would have to be unusually close to the brown dwarf sun. With this new discovery, scientists have more information about the contents of our cosmos as well as more information about how solar systems, planets, and perhaps even life, evolves in the universe.
Works Cited
Clavin Whitney. "Astronomers Discover Beginnings of 'Mini' Solar System." NASA.gov. 7 Feb 2005. .
G. volcanoes, etc.), but not on schedule; 3) Just because something is plausible does not make it true. The events on popular television series like Star Trek or Star Wars are not only plausible, but have scientific merit. That does not make them true, only possible (Kraus, 2007; Cavelos, 2000); 4) Conspiracy theories abound in numerous genres and surrounding numerous events. Examination of Marshalls' prose and "science," while seemingly credible
"Once every 248 Earth years, Pluto swings inside the orbit of Neptune. It stays there for twenty years. During those twenty years, Pluto is closer to the Sun than Neptune. During this period of time, like the other eight planets, Pluto's atmosphere undergoes a fundamental change in character, briefly developing an atmosphere. As methane and nitrogen frozen at the poles thaw. As it moves toward its farthest point from
Furthermore, he argues, a technological culture is not an inevitable feature of human evolution. If other cultures had achieved ascendancy, then science and technology would not have emerged as a reference point for measuring intelligence. SETI's requirement for an almost identical technology, although scientifically understandable, is based on an impoverished concept of intelligence. According to Munevar, the development of a scientific culture, with access to radio communication, is highly contingent,