Exoplanets, Star Wars and Drugs: All You Need to Know About Space - http://clapway.com/2015/12/17/exoplanets-star-wars-and-drugs-all-you-need-to-know-about-space-123/

This week, 31 exoplanets have been given names, and Star Wars has been revealed to have a fascinating connection to drugs and other real planets. The most notable of the newly named planets are Arion, Copernicus, and Spe.

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International Astronomical Union Announces Names for 14 New Stars and Exoplanets

The organization has replaced many sciencey names like PSR 1257+12 with much easily associated ones. How were these names chosen? Over 500,000 people from around the world cast their votes on one of 274 suggested names for exoplanets and stars. These names came from global astronomy organizations from all over the world, creating the NameExoWorlds Contest.

Most Exoplanets and Stars Names Were Inspired by Latin and Greek Myths

Run by the International Astronomical Union, the organization decided to let the people pick the official names of the celestial bodies. From the pool of winners was Veritate (‘truth’ in Latin), and the planet Spe (‘hope’ in Latin). These names were suggested by the Thunder Bay Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Other notable names of stars and planets include Calawan, Dagon, Fafnir, Metztli, Phobetor, Samh, and Tadmor.

Speaking of Stars, Star Wars Hits Theatres this Week!

The latest installment of Star Wars is having a worldwide premiere this week, and as such, it’s only fair to talk about their planets in connection to the naming of some of our own. Are these astronomical bodies based on real life planets?

Hoth, for one, bears a resemblance to frozen, rocky planets found in our universe. While some relate it to the winter season, it does remind the astronomy community of small objects spotted with icy bodies in our solar system. Hoth is home to the Rebel Alliance’s secret base, and it’s quite a popular planet among Star Wars fans because of the film The Empire Strikes Back

Tatooine, Endor, and Naboo Are Also Favorites

Tatooine is another crowd favorite, being the desert planet where Luke Skywalker grew up. The planet is characterized for having twin suns in its skies, whose sunset became one of the most iconic film shots in sci-fi film history.

The planet Endor and its moon, home of the Ewoks, is also a widespread favorite. It was the location of the final battle in Return of the Jedi and perhaps the most believable of all the worlds in Star Wars.

Other notable planets that may not necessarily be favorites are Mustafar, featured in Episode III and Naboo, home of Queen Padme Amidala. Another planet definitely worth mentioning is Corellia, home of Han Solo.

The Connection Between Star Wars and Drugs Might Surprise You

If some of you are thinking of hitting a joint before going to see the film in theaters, you’ll be surprised to know that it’s been done since the 1970s. An excerpt from a piece by J. Hoberman takes us on a nice journey on how marijuana was circulated back in the 1970s and 1980s.

Who, Hoberman writes, wouldn’t want to smoke up or do some drugs while gazing up at an engaging space age film with incredible color and lasers? There’s obviously something really attractive about combining stars in hyperspace, an amazing soundtrack, green men, and pot.

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There Are Marijuana Strains Named After Star Wars Characters

To solidify the connection, there are pot strains named Princess Leia, Ewoks, Vader and even Yoda. Spice, an up and coming synthetic form of marijuana, is also a kind of drug referenced in the Star Wars films. There is a lot that can be tied back to Star Wars, since it was such an iconic piece of pop culture, of film and of science fiction.

There are actually a lot of movies that would benefit from a joint and a lot of other drugs; there are also many movies who promote it. The association of Star Wars and drugs may seem strange, but if you really think about it, it also makes a lot of sense. While smoking in theaters isn’t allowed anymore, perhaps a marathon screening from home right before going to see the movie will best prepare you for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

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Read: Star Wars Teams Up With Google – Stronger Together!

Read: Star Wars: Battlefront is Better than Halo 5

Exoplanets, Star Wars and Drugs: All You Need to Know About Space

Planet Jupiter Has A Younger Sibling - And We Have a Photo of It! - http://clapway.com/2015/08/14/planet-jupiter-has-a-younger-sibling-and-we-have-a-photo-of-it123/

A planet similar to how Jupiter looked in its formative years  has been discovered by scientists using a high-tech camera that has been especially designed to capture photographs of distant planets – the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI).

The planet, known by the name 51 Eridani b is 96 light years away from Earth and is twice the size of Jupiter. However, it still remains as one of the smallest planets in our solar system to be captured by astronomers. Previously, those pictured have been up to 13 times the size of Jupiter.

The star it circles, 51 Eridani is only 20 million years old, in contrast to our sun which is thought to be around 4.5 billion years old.

So Why The Interest In Young Jupiter?

The fact that the ‘new Jupiter’ is still influenced by its surrounding conditions provides astronomers with an opportunity to study 51 Eridani b in great detail. There are also many similarities to Jupiter billions of years ago means that areas that were not focused on the first time around can now be discovered and researched in great detail.

“51 Eridani b is the first young planet that probably looks like Jupiter did billions of years ago, making it currently our most important corner piece of the planet-formation jigsaw puzzle,” says Travis Barman,  Planetary Scientist at University of Arizona.

Another simularity between the two planets is that they both include methane in their atmosphere, giving astronomers the opportunity to learn more about the formation and the evolution of this type of gas-planet. So far, it has been discovered that 51 Eridani b’s temperature is considerably higher, estimated to be around 800 degrees.

A Breakthrough In Discovery

Over the last 20 years, scientists have confirmed the existence of 1,800 exoplanets and  alien planets around other stars. However, this image marks something significant in the breakthrough of technology and discovery. The Gemini Planet Imager has been able to capture something quite remarkable.

“This is exactly the kind of planet we envisioned discovering when we designed GPI,” said James Graham, project scientist for GPI.

This invention of GPI will not only be able to discover unknown planets, but will provide clues as to how the solar systems form.

“Unlike most of the currently known confirmed exoplanets, these GPI images of exoplanets allow us to examine planetary atmospheric information, which will eventually allow astronomers to examine biosignatures from mature planets during the next decade”, said  Song, UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

While this discovery is still fairly new, scientists are going to start observing 51 Eridani b’s orbit in September. In the meantime, check out Science Mag to find out more information and keep up to date on the latest discoveries.

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Here is his review of the RWATCH R10 smartwatch provided to us by GearBest. Watch now on Clapway TV.

Planet Jupiter Has A Younger Sibling - And We Have a Photo of It!

Kepler 452b: Second Earth Perhaps Not For Us - http://clapway.com/2015/07/24/kepler-452b-second-earth-perhaps-not-for-us789/

Many scientists and space enthusiasts awaiting news about a second Earth were answered when NASA announced the results its phoenix-like telescope, Kepler, had found. The exoplanet that created so much excitement has a size and age reminiscent of Earth’s, and, critically, even exists in the Goldilocks zone of its Sun-like star, ensuring its neither freezing nor burning away any possibility of complex life.

Size, age, and other specs of second earth

Known as Kepler 452b, it’s the smallest exoplanet we’ve discovered existing within that coveted circular area of a G2 star colloquially called the Goldilocks zone. G2 is a category of star-luminescence that our own Sun also falls under. The new planet is about 6 billion years old, has a diameter sixty percent that of the Earth, and is located in the constellation Cygnus, roughly 1,400 light-years away from us.

WHY Kepler 452b IS SIMILAR TO EARTH

Kepler 452b orbits its sun-like star in a year lasting 385 days, which puts it undoubtedly within the habitable zone, which means it is very likely it will have liquid water.

But we shouldn’t get too excited to leap into our planet’s family’s arms.

DON’T JUMP THE SHARK, BECAUSE YOU CAN’T

The associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at the agency’s Washington headquarters, John Grunsfeld, called Kepler 452b a “close cousin to the Earth.” This is an apt description. Since the planet is rocky, like ours, yet smaller, the difference in gravity could do more harm than good.

Additionally, initial studies have suggested to us that the planet has entered a rather misfortunate runaway greenhouse gas phase, similar to what happened to Venus long ago, which is why the planet is so hot and antagonistic to life.

COLLECTIVE FERVER & SENTIMENTALITY

But this unfortunate atmospheric development didn’t stop the Chinese from getting excited, whom after hearing about the new planet flooded social media with over 44 million posts about the planet’s “substantial opportunity” to host life. China’s microblogging service, Sina Weibo, the hashtag #AnotherEarth exploded, with nearly 90,000 participants in the discussion.

Their state-run Xinhua news agency, Xinhua, had to quell high hopes for Kepler 452b’s biocompatibility, but the Chinese populace remained undaunted in its manic ravishing of the discovery, with the highest trending comment “Even Earth has found its other half, why am I still single?” lending credence to the notion of humankind’s innate alienation.

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Kepler 452b: Second Earth Perhaps Not For Us

By 2030, we might be able to find #aliens thanks to the new #Hubble, #HDST. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/14/proposed-telescope-will-hunt-for-alien-life-234/

NASA has recently announced that it has a team of scientists and researchers working on a new telescope that will be launched into space sometime around 2030. This proposed telescope will be more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope, and its main goal will be to search for alien life. At least, planets that are the most likely to harbor alien life any way.

The High Definition Space Telescope

This newly proposed telescope is already being called the High Definition Space Telescope by those in charge of the project at NASA. It will be roughly the same size as the Hubble Space Telescope, but it will be 100 times more sensitive. This higher sensitivity will let the telescope take clearer pictures of many of the exoplanets that Hubble has already found, as well as be able to find even more — perhaps even alien life.

The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AUSA) released a report entitled “From Cosmic Birth to Living Earths,” about the future High Definition Space Telescope. AUSA represents several observatories on behalf of NASA and is also the lead of the Hubble Space Telescope Mission.

The HDST Mission

The new High Definition Space Telescope (HDST) will advance the mission that Hubble originally embarked on. Scientists know where around 2,000 exoplanets are thanks to the Hubble, so by programming where the telescope is to look, it will give a more accurate portrayal of the planets.

Exoplanets are any large, rock based objects, planets that orbit a star outside of the Sol solar system, our solar system. The proposed telescope will be equipped with a light dimmer which will be able to lessen the intense light coming from the stars that the exoplanets are orbiting, thus giving a significantly clearer picture.

With the more accurate data, scientists will be able to analyze the atmosphere on the distant planets and be able to tell if any of the planets are under the right circumstances to harbor life. On top of the clearer picture, the HDST will also go out millions of miles more than Hubble. This will let the telescope find new planets not just inside the Milky Way Galaxy, as the Hubble was only capable of doing, but also far beyond.

 What This Means for Space Exploration

If all goes according to plan, this telescope will launch in 2030. It likely will introduce to humanity not just thousands of previously unknown planets, but also reveal planets that could be the home to alien life forms. While any alien life found will likely be bacterial or other microscopic organisms, it will still prove that life is not as rare as it seems and that the life on Earth was not a freak, one-time incident.

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Proposed Telescope Will Hunt for Alien Life