Not squid, but more cool science anyway

[English assassin]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6506081.stm

The dual suns that rise and set over Luke Skywalker's homeworld in the film Star Wars may be more than just fantasy, according to data from Nasa.
In a classic scene from the 1977 movie, the hero gazes into the distance as two yellow suns set on the horizon.

Nasa's Spitzer Space Telescope has found that planetary systems are as common around double stars as they are around single stars, like our own Sun.

First class stuff from NASA. This is how to spend taxes.

Now, where is my lightsabre.

[BDC]

Seems fun. You could have a really expensive, romantic resort. Two sunsets a night. How awesome.

[Watchman]

That is, of course, assuming the planet isn't tide-locked and getting scorched varyingly by both stars in turn...

[Louis VI the Fat]

That is, of course, assuming the planet isn't tide-locked and getting scorched varyingly by both stars in turn...

You're not a Trekkie, are you? Gah, I'm telling you, that Star Wars stuff is real. These new findings prove that Tatooine is a real planet. So we was right all along, and your Trekkie 'real science' stuff is nothing but cynicism and envy.

[Watchman]

Naw. In spite of the huge gaping logic holes throughout and the very questionable dualistic basic ideas I actually dig Star Wars rather more than Trek. Whatever their other faults may be, the first two movies in particular are quality space opera entertainment that have withstood time quite well, especially given they were made in the what, late Seventies or so.

Trek with its brow-furrow alien races of the week can stuff it far as I'm concerned, although it does get brownie points for having coined concepts like "redshirt" to common parlance.

Plus Trek doesn't have any character as even remotely campy cool as Vader.

[rory_20_uk]

We don't know what is in the rainforests. We don't know what is in the ocean. But we can waste money on seeing if planets have two suns!!!

NASA, I salute you

[English assassin]

We don't know what is in the ocean

Yes we do. Giant squid. Keep UP Rory.

[Watchman]

Hey, NASA is the space research bureau. Why the heck should they be researching the ocean trenches and deep rainforests anyway ?

[rory_20_uk]

Fair point, if irrelevant. They get money to do what they do. Money is not finite. So, money they get others don't. If they didn't get the money, others would get it. Surveying our planet is more useful than ones several thousand light years away.

[Byzantine Prince]

NASA is insuring the US have dibs on all the cool research stations. The oceans and renforests belong to other countries, so they don't have much juristiction there.

[Blodrast]

We don't know what is in the rainforests.

rory, we'll solve that problem very soon, in a different manner though.
We're working on it really hard, and when we're done, we'll know the answer, because the answer will be: nothing. 'cause there ain't no rainforests anymore.

So no need to pour money into researching that, when we'll have the answer pretty soon anyway.

[Gregoshi]

That is, of course, assuming the planet isn't tide-locked and getting scorched varyingly by both stars in turn...

Tatooine is a desert world...

rory, there are people researching rainforests and oceans on Earth - and some of the data for that research is compliments of satellites put into orbit by NASA. Also, by looking out into the universe, we may see other planets and stars which may help us understand what the future may hold for us here on Earth with regards to weather, geology, chemistry, physics, biology (life!), stellar life cycles, etc. The fact that we can detect - and even see in some cases - planets revolving around other stars is something that wasn't possible 20 years ago. The more and better we can see the rest of the universe, the more we can learn about how our own planet works.

[Whacker]

Tatooine is a desert world...

rory, there are people researching rainforests and oceans on Earth - and some of the data for that research is compliments of satellites put into orbit by NASA. Also, by looking out into the universe, we may see other planets and stars which may help us understand what the future may hold for us here on Earth with regards to weather, geology, chemistry, physics, biology (life!), stellar life cycles, etc. The fact that we can detect - and even see in some cases - planets revolving around other stars is something that wasn't possible 20 years ago. The more and better we can see the rest of the universe, the more we can learn about how our own planet works.

All well and good, but pointless seeing how one of these suckers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_string is going obliterate us and our solar system any day now.

[Gregoshi]

Who knew the apple that fell on Newton's head would have such far ranging impact on us? Some of the things being researched in space may never have an effect on life on Earth (for good or ill), but if we don't try to understand what we find in the universe, how will we know?

[rory_20_uk]

But best review the here and now which is just as full of possibilities rather than objects which we can't even reach.

Newton focused on an apple, not trying to work out the size of Pluto.

[Whacker]

Newton was ahead of his time though, physics was a very young science.

Now that we've advanced even more, astro and macro-physics as well as quantum physics are the new "young". As Gregoshi said, unless we investigate we will never know.

[rory_20_uk]

The time constraint on planets orbiting suns thousands of light years away is measured in tens if not hundreds of years.

We loose tens of species per year. OK, most we can do without, but it would be good if there's anything we can learn before they die off.

I am hardly advocating a ban of all research, merely a change in priorities. Increasing numbers of novel drugs are found after analysis of organisms on this planet. The more effort is made in looking the more we are likely to discover. This IMO is more important than a really close look at Europa.

[Watchman]

Tatooine is a desert world...

"Scorching" as in "Mercury", not Mars. The difference between a dirtball and a "Hades world" is rather major.

[Caius]

Tatooine is a desert world...

Good!Now its mine!

[Whacker]

Good!Now its mine!

Methinks the Hutts and the Sand People might have something to say about that....

[TevashSzat]

Whaker, actually quantam mecahnics was more 20th century and general and special relativity, 20th century. The new young is the string theory and the various different variations upon it due to the quest for the unification of general relativity and quantam mechanics.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I read this straight off slashdot and was impressed that I already had learned that in an astronomy course I took.