I Propose A Name For Newly Discovered Earth-like Planet!

[Fat Man]

I'm still waiting to find out if there's bacteria on Europa or not

I didn't even know there was another new planet named Europa. Why don't people tell me these things?

Europa is one of the moons of Jupiter.

It's surface is covered with ice, but there is water under the ice.

In fact, Europa has more water than the earth. Europa is about the size of the moon, but the water is about 60 miles deep so it has more water than all the oceans on earth.

Because of the tidal effects of Jupiter's gravity on Europa the interior of Europa heats up and at the bottom on the deep water, there could be geothermal vents releasing hot water, and some kind of microscopic life could exist there near these geothermal vents at the bottom of the deep water.

Europa is one of the 4 moons discovered by Galileo back in the 1600's.

The 4 Galilean moons are Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, and Io.

[Earl]

Wow. Interesting. Thanks for the info, Fat Man. That sure makes me look like a dummy!

Dear reader(s), be sure to check out my post at the end of the preceding page of this topic.

[HugeFanOfBadReligion]

Oh no, Earl has joined the dark side!

[Earl]

May the team be with you.

[Lewis]

Maybe we could send all the Jocks to this planet, so we could have a world free from football.

Of course, you realize -- don't you, Lewis -- that when the earth finally has one-world government, you will be appointed ambassador to planet Samdaman and that you will be required to live there?

Hopefully the weather will be nice over there. I'll be fine so long as I get a fancy title, maybe something like 'Lewis, the Ambassador of Truth'

[Skul]

Oh no, Earl has joined the dark side!

Don't worry. He's been banned.

[Fat Man]

Wow. Interesting. Thanks for the info, Fat Man. That sure makes me look like a dummy!

Well, as you all know, I have always been interested in science and Astronomy was always my favorite topic when I was a kid going to school.

I can go out at night a point out all the constellations. I know them all by name.

The winter constellations are my favorite, especially Orion and the Pleiades Cluster.


This is Orion.


This is the Pleiades Cluster.


And this is the background image on my computer desktop.

It's the Orion Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula, also in Orion.


And finally, the constellation of Libra where the new planet was discovered.

Yeah, my birth sign since I was born on September 30.


Libra, The Scale.

Yeah, a scale to weigh the Fat Man!

[Earl]

Those shots are interesting, Fat Man. I must say, though, that the Horsehead Nebula should be renamed the Diplodocus Head Nebula.

[Earl]

Oh no, Earl has joined the dark side!

Don't worry. He's been banned.

I'm sorry, I repent. I've come back to the light. Do you have it in your heart to unban me, Skul?







Thank you, oh, thank you so very much!

[Earl]

Maybe we could send all the Jocks to this planet, so we could have a world free from football.

Of course, you realize -- don't you, Lewis -- that when the earth finally has one-world government, you will be appointed ambassador to planet Samdaman and that you will be required to live there?

Hopefully the weather will be nice over there. I'll be fine so long as I get a fancy title, maybe something like 'Lewis, the Ambassador of Truth'

Tell it like it is, Brother Lewis! Tell it like it is!

[Fat Man]

Those shots are interesting, Fat Man. I must say, though, that the Horsehead Nebula should be renamed the Diplodocus Head Nebula.

You know, you're right!!!

To be honest, it never did really look exactly like a horse's head to me.

Oh well, misnamed or not, it's still a beautiful sight to behold.

[Earl]

I agree with you, Fat Man. It really is a beautiful sight to behold. The universe and our own planet is full of wondrous sights and images. Of course, I was joking when I said that the Horsehead Nebula should be renamed the Diplodocus Head Nebula. After all, horses are far more familiar than the extinct diplodocus to most people (except those, of course, who have seen Jurassic Park ).

[Fat Man]

I agree with you, Fat Man. It really is a beautiful sight to behold. The universe and our own planet is full of wondrous sights and images.

Here is a close-up view of a nebula take with the Hubble Telescope.



Here you see new stars in the process of formation.

Another words, this is like a stellar nursery. The little blobs of nebulous gasses are where these cute little new baby stars are born.

Our sun and the planets, including our Earth was born about 4.5 billions years from a similar nebulous cloud of hydrogen gas as you see in the photo above.

[Earl]

Wow! I'm going to hate myself in the morning for doing this, but -- Hey, wait a minute. This is the morning already -- I can't resist making a very, very bad pun: It's a gas.

(Abitagirl would enjoy reading my jokes, but she's not here. Mrs. Earl has even asked about her.)