Comments on: CenFlix http://oklo.org/2008/12/14/cenflix/ characterizing planetary systems Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:53:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Centauri Dreams » Blog Archive » Centauri Planets: Year-End Thoughts http://oklo.org/2008/12/14/cenflix/comment-page-1/#comment-12175 Centauri Dreams » Blog Archive » Centauri Planets: Year-End Thoughts Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:46:19 +0000 http://oklo.org/?p=304#comment-12175 [...] what Laughlin came up with in a recent systemic post: fp = Chance of a habitable planet orbiting Alpha Cen B = [...] [...] what Laughlin came up with in a recent systemic post: fp = Chance of a habitable planet orbiting Alpha Cen B = [...]

]]> By: Lab Lemming http://oklo.org/2008/12/14/cenflix/comment-page-1/#comment-11004 Lab Lemming Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:13:17 +0000 http://oklo.org/?p=304#comment-11004 Based on Bruce's comments, I wonder about how rigorously we are using the adjective "intelligent" to describe various forms of life. Based on Bruce’s comments, I wonder about how rigorously we are using the adjective “intelligent” to describe various forms of life.

]]> By: bruce01 http://oklo.org/2008/12/14/cenflix/comment-page-1/#comment-10905 bruce01 Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:40:23 +0000 http://oklo.org/?p=304#comment-10905 Alpha Centauri, at declination -60 degrees, is barely above the horizon even from Florida. The web site: http://www.deepspacecom.net/ says they are located near the Kennedy Space Center which is north of latitude 28 degrees. This makes the zenith angle of Alpha Centauri greater than 88 degrees as seen from the Space Center. You need to add to your equation the probability that the "beamed" signal made it through the Earth's atmosphere without being totally scattered. Alpha Centauri, at declination -60 degrees, is barely above the horizon even from Florida. The web site:
http://www.deepspacecom.net/
says they are located near the Kennedy Space Center which is north of latitude 28 degrees. This makes the zenith angle of Alpha Centauri greater than 88 degrees as seen from the Space Center. You need to add to your equation the probability that the “beamed” signal made it through the Earth’s atmosphere without being totally scattered.

]]> By: andy http://oklo.org/2008/12/14/cenflix/comment-page-1/#comment-10903 andy Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:30:24 +0000 http://oklo.org/?p=304#comment-10903 I definitely prefer this version of the Drake equation. Is the understanding Maxwell's equations quantity related to any kind of polling of your students as well? My personal estimates would put a somewhat higher probability of life evolving on a habitable planet, but a much lower estimate of life evolving technological intelligence. (Intelligence itself seems fairly common - for example, cephalopods emerged 500 million years ago in the Cambrian explosion, but despite the multiple times fairly high intelligence evolved on this planet, runaway technology has only evolved once, which suggests it may not be a result to which the evolution intelligent life commonly converges.) I definitely prefer this version of the Drake equation. Is the understanding Maxwell’s equations quantity related to any kind of polling of your students as well?

My personal estimates would put a somewhat higher probability of life evolving on a habitable planet, but a much lower estimate of life evolving technological intelligence. (Intelligence itself seems fairly common – for example, cephalopods emerged 500 million years ago in the Cambrian explosion, but despite the multiple times fairly high intelligence evolved on this planet, runaway technology has only evolved once, which suggests it may not be a result to which the evolution intelligent life commonly converges.)

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