Nov

21

Is There Anybody Out There?

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

November 21, 2007 |

The December issue of Discover magazine calls scientist David Charbonneau the “scientist of the year” for research he’s done, but, strangely enough, the honor is being conferred mainly for what his research might reveal, not what it’s already uncovered. They’re not exaggerating when they compare the discovery of extraterrestrial life to Copernicus’s theory that the Earth is one of many planets revolving around the Sun (although it was Galileo who eventually proved it), or Edwin Hubble’s discovery that our galaxy is surrounded by other galaxies. The problem is extraterrestrial life hasn’t been discovered yet.

There have been more than 200 “exoplanets”—planets circling other stars—discovered, and Charbonneau has been one of the leading researchers in the exoplanet field. In 1999 he led the team that made the first observation of an exoplanet passing in front of its own star. In 2002 an article published in Discover explained how, using spectrographic analysis, Charbonneau and his team were able to determine whether sodium was present in a exoplanet’s makeup, and were planning to use further analysis to look for biologically important molecules like water and methane.

Discoveries don’t come easily, though, and a lot of other scientists are working on looking for extraterrestrial life. In fact there are numerous discussions, such as one over at Centauri Dreams, about whether gas giants around star 55 Cancri could have habitable moons. Charbonneau may have the experience and the resources, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be the first to find extraterrestrial life. His survey won’t begin until 2008, and will initially take three years. Who knows what’ll happen between now and then? I wish Doctor Charbonneau all the luck in the world—make that the universe—but he’s not working alone to find out whether or not we, the inhabitants of a small planet in an outer arm of a spiral galaxy, are alone.


Comments

3 Comments so far

  1. Cameron on November 23, 2007 9:01 am

    Mathematically speaking, it’s hard to see how we can be alone.

  2. Christopher Waldrop on November 23, 2007 8:42 pm

    Mathematics aside if we are alone it seems like an awful waste of space. I should add that, while the discovery of alien life is comparable to the discoveries of Galileo or Hubble, it’s also different in that for at least a century we’ve been preparing mentally for the discovery of alien life. For many it will come as a shock. For many others it will simply be a confirmation.

  3. James on November 26, 2007 4:40 pm

    It is an interesting point in awarding someone for something that has not yet been proven.

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