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(male narrator)
Unbelievable new worlds,
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planets made of diamond,
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00:00:08,709 --> 00:00:11,279
planets of raining glass,
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00:00:11,312 --> 00:00:15,149
worlds in collision...
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some plunging into stars...
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and others
that just might harbor life.
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00:00:23,291 --> 00:00:25,159
But had ancient astronomers
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as far back as the days
of Greece and Rome
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00:00:28,329 --> 00:00:31,265
already guessed
what modern science
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00:00:31,299 --> 00:00:33,634
is about to learn?
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We are the generation
of human beings
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that are going to know
whether or not we're alone
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00:00:38,806 --> 00:00:40,574
in the universe.
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(narrator)
Ancient mysteries
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shrouded
in the shadows of time.
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Now can they
finally be solved
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by looking
to the heavens?
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The truth is up there,
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hidden among the stars...
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in a place we call...
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Ancient Greece...
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The greatest minds
look up in wonder
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at the strangest objects
in the night sky--
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five brilliant points of light
that look like stars
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but move
in mysterious ways.
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They noticed
that some objects
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didn't behave
like the stars
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and that they called them
"the wanderers,"
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and they mapped them out
in incredible detail.
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(narrator)
The ancient Greek word
for "wanderers"
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is "planets."
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2,000 years later,
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the invention
of the telescope
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added three more planets,
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bringing the accepted total
to eight,
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but if anyone thought
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that these were the only planets
in the universe,
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they were dead wrong.
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The problem was,
for years,
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there was simply no way
to find any additional planets
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that theoretically might exist
around alien stars.
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They didn't know
how to find them
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because looking at them
with a telescope--
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they're just
invisible to us.
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They're too small.
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(narrator)
Scientists compared
the challenge
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of finding such planets
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to placing a firefly
next to a Hollywood spotlight.
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(Knutson)
Now, imagine flying
to New York City
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and taking
your best camera,
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attaching it
to your best telescope,
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and trying
to take an image
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of that spotlight
and that firefly
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all the way out here
in Los Angeles,
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where you can see
the firefly
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separate
from the spotlight,
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and that's about the scale
of how difficult it is
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to actually take a picture
where you can see the planet
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next to the star.
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(narrator)
Yet, in just the past few years,
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we've discovered hundreds
of new planets
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whirling around alien suns.
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It's a collection of worlds
that range from the bizarre
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to the eerily familiar--
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a planet about to be swallowed
by a dying star...
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Giant water worlds
awash in global oceans...
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A planet in a death plunge
into its star...
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Two planets
in the fiery aftermath
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of a gigantic collision...
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And the holy grail--
Earthlike planets
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that just might harbor life.
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Could this be one
of the first places
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in the universe
we find alien life--
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a newly discovered planet
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called Gliese 667Cc?
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It orbits what's known
as an M dwarf--
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a star that's 1/3 less massive
than our Sun
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and gives off
a tiny fraction
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of the visible light,
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but for astronomers seeking
both new worlds
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and life
in the universe,
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it looms large,
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because planet Gliese 667Cc
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might actually be inhabited,
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even though
it's eight times closer
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to its dim star
than Earth is to the Sun.
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(Filippenko)
If we on Earth
were orbiting the Sun
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at that distance,
we would get fried,
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but because Gliese 667
is a low-luminosity M dwarf,
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a dim star,
the planet, 667Cc,
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that orbits it actually gets
an amount of starlight
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that should make
its temperatures
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somewhat comparable
to those that we have on Earth.
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So what would it be like
to stand on the surface
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of this world
and look up into the sky?
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Here we are on Earth.
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That's our Sun up there.
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It's so small,
I can take my little finger
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and block it out,
but on Gliese 667C,
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come on, the Sun
is ten times larger.
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(narrator)
The energy pouring
onto the planet
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is not visible light
like on Earth
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but infrared light,
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otherwise known as heat.
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Because the planet
orbits so closely,
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it's locked in the tidal grasp
of its star.
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(Filippenko)
It's the same side always
that faces the star.
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It's like the Moon--
the same side of the Moon
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continually faces
the Earth.
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Well, so, too,
the same side of this planet
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continually faces
Gliese 667C.
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(narrator)
Scientists once thought
that such planets
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would be too hot for life
on one side
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and too cold
on the other,
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but simulations now suggest
that heat from the hot side
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would flow to the dark side
and vice versa,
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evening out
the temperature.
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If life exists in this bath
of infrared light,
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it must have evolved
far differently
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from life on Earth,
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with eyes adapted
to the infrared spectrum.
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If you imagine taking
night vision goggles
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or something which lets you see
infrared light,
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you would see that, in fact,
everything around you is glowing
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and that the amount
which it glowed
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varied depending
on the temperature.
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Things which are hot
will be brighter.
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Things which are cold
will be fainter.
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(narrator)
Plants, too, would have evolved
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in ways hard to imagine.
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(Aguilar)
On Earth, everything is green
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because that's
the wavelength of light
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plants don't like.
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They take in the red,
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they take in the blue
for energy,
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and they
reject the green,
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so we live
in a green world.
138
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But on one
of these worlds,
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as the infrared wavelengths
are brought into the plants,
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everything to us
would look black.
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Could you imagine
rolling fields of black grass,
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black trees?
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(narrator)
But there's a problem
for any potential life.
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M dwarf stars
like Gliese 667C
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shoot out violent
solar flares
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that can double the brightness
of the star in minutes.
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Flares like this create
gigantic bursts of radiation,
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the kind that can poison life
and cause deadly mutations.
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So the question is,
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could life survive
on such a planet?
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In fact, some suspect
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that life might benefit
in a surprising way.
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(Filippenko)
Most mutations
are actually harmful to life,
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but some lead
to advantages.
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Whether this would speed up
evolution of life
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on that exoplanet
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or tend to kill off
the life completely,
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I think we're not
yet sure of.
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(narrator)
If life can survive
the turbulence
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of an M dwarf star
like Gliese 667C,
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that would have
profound implications
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for one of humanity's
greatest questions--
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How common is life
in the universe?
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The reason for that
is that M dwarfs
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are the most common
kinds of star.
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It might surprise you
to learn that when you look up
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at the night sky, even if
you're in a very dark place
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and you can see
lots of stars,
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you can't see any
of the stars
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that are the most common kinds
of stars in the entire universe.
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70% of the stars
in our galaxy
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are what
we call M dwarfs,
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very cool,
small red stars
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that are half
the size of the Sun
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or even smaller
than that.
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(narrator)
Yet these dim suns,
invisible to the naked eye,
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may be humming
with life.
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We've learned that these
are the most likely stars
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to host planets that
are roughly the size of Earth.
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At roughly the right distance
away from their star,
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they receive similar
amounts of light
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from their star
that we receive here on Earth.
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(narrator)
One thing seems sure--
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if life exists
on Gliese 667Cc,
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it would have
far more time to evolve
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than life does on Earth.
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Our Sun will only last
a few billion more years
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before swelling
into a red giant
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and sterilizing
the planet.
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But M dwarfs
are practically immortal.
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We think that there are
some of these stars
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which live basically
the age of the universe,
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so that's an advantage,
because we know that our Sun
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isn't going
to live forever.
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00:10:04,772 --> 00:10:08,075
(narrator)
Gliese 667Cc is just one
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of dozens
of Earthlike planets
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that researchers
have recently discovered...
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planets that finally confirm
the beliefs
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00:10:17,050 --> 00:10:18,752
of ancient philosophers
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00:10:18,786 --> 00:10:22,622
who taught that there were
countless alien worlds.
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00:10:23,991 --> 00:10:26,827
But as we look
at these new alien planets,
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an even bigger question
emerges--
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Is anyone
looking back at us?
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We finally have the technology
to find out.
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00:10:44,211 --> 00:10:47,881
(narrator)
As we search deep space
for alien worlds,
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00:10:47,915 --> 00:10:50,250
the ancient understanding
of what it takes
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00:10:50,283 --> 00:10:52,920
for a planet
to support life
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is encoded
much closer to home.
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00:10:58,358 --> 00:11:00,327
When the Apollo mission
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00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:05,298
landed on the Moon's
Sea of Tranquility in 1969...
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00:11:05,332 --> 00:11:08,168
many people wondered
about the name.
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00:11:08,201 --> 00:11:10,203
(Neil Armstrong)
Tranquility Base here.
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00:11:10,237 --> 00:11:12,740
The Eagle has landed.
214
00:11:12,773 --> 00:11:16,209
(narrator)
Why Sea of Tranquility?
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00:11:16,243 --> 00:11:19,046
The answer goes back
to an ancient belief
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00:11:19,079 --> 00:11:22,382
about life on other worlds.
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00:11:22,415 --> 00:11:24,785
In the first century AD,
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00:11:24,818 --> 00:11:28,088
the Greek philosopher Plutarch
wrote that the Moon
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00:11:28,121 --> 00:11:29,957
was a planet like Earth
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00:11:29,990 --> 00:11:32,359
and that it might
even be inhabited.
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00:11:32,392 --> 00:11:37,364
If so, he argued it would need
oceans of water.
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00:11:37,397 --> 00:11:39,800
Even back to the days
of Plutarch,
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00:11:39,833 --> 00:11:43,771
we realized that water
was necessary for life.
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00:11:43,804 --> 00:11:46,239
Some people think wine
is the elixir of life,
225
00:11:46,273 --> 00:11:50,310
but in the scientific world,
we realize it's water.
226
00:11:53,546 --> 00:11:57,517
(narrator)
Ancients like Plutarch
looked for lunar oceans
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00:11:57,550 --> 00:12:00,453
and thought they saw them
in the dark splotches
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00:12:00,487 --> 00:12:02,489
scattered
across the Moon,
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00:12:02,522 --> 00:12:04,457
so they named them "mares,"
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00:12:04,491 --> 00:12:07,761
the Latin word for "seas."
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00:12:07,795 --> 00:12:11,464
So we have the Sea of Storms,
the Sea of Tranquility,
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00:12:11,498 --> 00:12:15,002
all these different seas.
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00:12:15,035 --> 00:12:18,005
The idea that water
was very critical to life
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00:12:18,038 --> 00:12:21,041
goes way back
in our historical records.
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00:12:23,176 --> 00:12:25,478
(narrator)
Today we know
that the Moon's seas
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00:12:25,512 --> 00:12:30,150
are simply large basins
of dark volcanic rock,
237
00:12:30,183 --> 00:12:32,385
but Plutarch's
original idea--
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00:12:32,419 --> 00:12:35,155
that to find life
on other planets,
239
00:12:35,188 --> 00:12:37,090
look for liquid water--
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00:12:37,124 --> 00:12:40,493
has survived
the test of time.
241
00:12:40,527 --> 00:12:43,263
All known life on Earth
appears to require
242
00:12:43,296 --> 00:12:45,332
the presence
of liquid water.
243
00:12:45,365 --> 00:12:50,270
Molecules can get bigger
and can form complex structures.
244
00:12:50,303 --> 00:12:53,173
If life elsewhere
is like life on Earth,
245
00:12:53,206 --> 00:12:56,076
then the mantra should be
"follow the water."
246
00:12:58,445 --> 00:13:01,514
(narrator)
Water is common
in the universe,
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00:13:01,548 --> 00:13:05,518
but liquid water is rare.
248
00:13:05,552 --> 00:13:07,387
On the surface
of planets,
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00:13:07,420 --> 00:13:11,058
it only exists
in the so-called Goldilocks,
250
00:13:11,091 --> 00:13:13,560
or habitable zone
near a star,
251
00:13:13,593 --> 00:13:18,331
where things are not too hot
and not too cold.
252
00:13:18,365 --> 00:13:20,467
The size
of this habitable zone
253
00:13:20,500 --> 00:13:23,236
depends on the size
and temperature of the star
254
00:13:23,270 --> 00:13:26,539
that the planets
are circling.
255
00:13:26,573 --> 00:13:30,077
Our Sun is a fairly
ordinary mid-size star,
256
00:13:30,110 --> 00:13:32,946
so our habitable zone,
where Earth resides,
257
00:13:32,980 --> 00:13:36,416
is one astronomical unit away,
way out here--
258
00:13:36,449 --> 00:13:37,918
millions of miles.
259
00:13:37,951 --> 00:13:40,487
Now, in the case
of low-mass stars,
260
00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:42,155
they're much smaller,
261
00:13:42,189 --> 00:13:44,357
and they have
much less luminosity,
262
00:13:44,391 --> 00:13:45,625
or light output.
263
00:13:45,658 --> 00:13:48,395
So that means that
the habitable zone goes
264
00:13:48,428 --> 00:13:51,364
from being way out here
to being much closer in
265
00:13:51,398 --> 00:13:54,367
to the central star.
266
00:13:54,401 --> 00:13:56,503
(narrator)
So life could exist on planets
267
00:13:56,536 --> 00:13:59,306
much closer to dim stars,
268
00:13:59,339 --> 00:14:02,342
and as we've seen,
the universe is teeming
269
00:14:02,375 --> 00:14:04,611
with planets like that.
270
00:14:07,147 --> 00:14:09,516
Another key thing
that affects the possibility
271
00:14:09,549 --> 00:14:14,154
of liquid water and life
is the planet's size.
272
00:14:16,189 --> 00:14:17,424
(Seager)
If a planet is too small,
273
00:14:17,457 --> 00:14:19,192
we think it will lose
its atmosphere
274
00:14:19,226 --> 00:14:20,493
because it does not have
enough gravity to hold on
275
00:14:20,527 --> 00:14:21,929
to its atmosphere.
276
00:14:21,962 --> 00:14:23,430
That's what
happened to Mercury
277
00:14:23,463 --> 00:14:25,365
and to some extent Mars.
278
00:14:25,398 --> 00:14:28,535
If the planet's too big,
it becomes a gas giant,
279
00:14:28,568 --> 00:14:30,370
which, actually,
are very hot planets
280
00:14:30,403 --> 00:14:33,573
as one would travel down
into the atmosphere.
281
00:14:33,606 --> 00:14:36,977
So the planet has to be
just the right size.
282
00:14:37,010 --> 00:14:40,280
So the habitable zone is
actually the sum of two parts.
283
00:14:40,313 --> 00:14:42,282
One is being the right distance
from the star,
284
00:14:42,315 --> 00:14:45,285
and the other is having
the right kind of planet.
285
00:14:47,387 --> 00:14:51,591
(narrator)
These, then, are
the two requirements for life,
286
00:14:51,624 --> 00:14:54,161
but how often do they exist?
287
00:14:54,194 --> 00:14:57,397
It turns out
they're everywhere,
288
00:14:57,430 --> 00:14:59,466
including here
289
00:14:59,499 --> 00:15:02,402
on this incredible,
newly discovered planet
290
00:15:02,435 --> 00:15:05,172
called Kepler-22b.
291
00:15:05,205 --> 00:15:07,640
Kepler-22b is what
we call a Super Earth.
292
00:15:07,674 --> 00:15:10,243
These are planets
that are larger than Earth,
293
00:15:10,277 --> 00:15:13,346
but smaller than
the planet Neptune.
294
00:15:13,380 --> 00:15:16,016
We don't have anything like
that in our own solar system,
295
00:15:16,049 --> 00:15:17,650
yet these planets
appear everywhere
296
00:15:17,684 --> 00:15:19,686
when we look
at other stars.
297
00:15:23,623 --> 00:15:25,225
(narrator)
As the list of planets
298
00:15:25,258 --> 00:15:28,595
that fit these
precise requirements grows,
299
00:15:28,628 --> 00:15:32,432
the surprises keep coming.
300
00:15:32,465 --> 00:15:34,501
Consider an alien star
301
00:15:34,534 --> 00:15:37,470
only slightly smaller
than our Sun
302
00:15:37,504 --> 00:15:40,307
that has not one
but two planets
303
00:15:40,340 --> 00:15:43,743
that might be in the right spot
and be the right size
304
00:15:43,776 --> 00:15:46,980
to harbor life.
305
00:15:47,014 --> 00:15:50,483
Kepler-62e and "f"
are both Super Earths.
306
00:15:50,517 --> 00:15:53,686
They've got about 1 1/2 times
the diameter of the Earth,
307
00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:57,490
and both of them are in,
broadly speaking,
308
00:15:57,524 --> 00:16:00,093
the habitable zone.
309
00:16:00,127 --> 00:16:02,029
(narrator)
They're so close to each other
310
00:16:02,062 --> 00:16:05,332
that if technological beings
evolved on one,
311
00:16:05,365 --> 00:16:08,368
they could
easily visit the other.
312
00:16:08,401 --> 00:16:10,503
If you could travel
on a rocket ship,
313
00:16:10,537 --> 00:16:16,043
it would take about 12 days
to go between these two worlds.
314
00:16:16,076 --> 00:16:18,445
(narrator)
That could only happen
if these planets
315
00:16:18,478 --> 00:16:20,347
have dry continents,
316
00:16:20,380 --> 00:16:24,017
but some suspect
that they're water worlds
317
00:16:24,051 --> 00:16:28,521
covered
in a deep global ocean.
318
00:16:28,555 --> 00:16:30,790
These would be planets
with a small, rocky core
319
00:16:30,823 --> 00:16:34,527
and then a very massive
water envelope surrounding that,
320
00:16:34,561 --> 00:16:36,329
so that would certainly
be an example
321
00:16:36,363 --> 00:16:39,299
of a kind of planet
which is fundamentally different
322
00:16:39,332 --> 00:16:43,636
than anything we see
in our own solar system.
323
00:16:43,670 --> 00:16:46,706
(narrator)
A water world
might be great for life,
324
00:16:46,739 --> 00:16:48,541
even intelligent life,
325
00:16:48,575 --> 00:16:52,679
but technological civilization
is probably impossible
326
00:16:52,712 --> 00:16:55,048
for a simple reason.
327
00:16:55,082 --> 00:16:57,517
(Aguilar)
You can't light
a match under water.
328
00:16:57,550 --> 00:16:59,352
You can't have electricity.
329
00:16:59,386 --> 00:17:02,822
Probably intelligent life
that is capable
330
00:17:02,855 --> 00:17:05,425
of making
and building things
331
00:17:05,458 --> 00:17:09,629
wouldn't exist there
because they can't use fire.
332
00:17:11,631 --> 00:17:15,602
(narrator)
Still, this does not rule out
life in the atmosphere.
333
00:17:15,635 --> 00:17:19,572
After all, some fish on Earth
have evolved flight
334
00:17:19,606 --> 00:17:22,075
to escape predators,
335
00:17:22,109 --> 00:17:26,846
so scientists speculate
that the skies of Kepler-62e
336
00:17:26,879 --> 00:17:30,350
could swarm
with alien birds.
337
00:17:32,719 --> 00:17:35,788
Planets like Kepler-22b
338
00:17:35,822 --> 00:17:39,592
and surprising twins
like Kepler-62e and "f"
339
00:17:39,626 --> 00:17:42,329
are revolutionizing
our understanding
340
00:17:42,362 --> 00:17:46,599
of what kinds of worlds
might harbor life,
341
00:17:46,633 --> 00:17:49,536
but how does this strange class
of planet
342
00:17:49,569 --> 00:17:54,207
make our solar system look
like the freak of the universe?
343
00:18:00,747 --> 00:18:03,783
(narrator)
As we search the heavens
for new worlds,
344
00:18:03,816 --> 00:18:06,186
we expected
to find solar systems
345
00:18:06,219 --> 00:18:08,288
that look like our own,
346
00:18:08,321 --> 00:18:11,891
but instead, we're discovering
that our solar system
347
00:18:11,924 --> 00:18:14,794
might be
a freak of nature,
348
00:18:14,827 --> 00:18:17,564
challenging a view
of the cosmos
349
00:18:17,597 --> 00:18:21,768
that developed
over thousands of years.
350
00:18:21,801 --> 00:18:24,504
Some astronomers
in the ancient world
351
00:18:24,537 --> 00:18:26,906
correctly guessed
that Earth was a globe
352
00:18:26,939 --> 00:18:30,477
that revolved
around the Sun,
353
00:18:30,510 --> 00:18:33,713
but the most famous
of all ancient philosophers
354
00:18:33,746 --> 00:18:36,816
strongly disagreed.
355
00:18:36,849 --> 00:18:38,885
In the 300s BC,
356
00:18:38,918 --> 00:18:41,254
Aristotle argued
that the Earth
357
00:18:41,288 --> 00:18:43,490
was at the center
of the universe,
358
00:18:43,523 --> 00:18:48,395
and his ideas
were accepted for centuries.
359
00:18:48,428 --> 00:18:51,264
The Catholic Church
adopted this
360
00:18:51,298 --> 00:18:53,733
because it worked so well
in their theology
361
00:18:53,766 --> 00:18:55,268
of how the universe worked.
362
00:18:55,302 --> 00:18:57,937
God had created man.
Man was special.
363
00:18:57,970 --> 00:19:01,474
The Earth was special,
and because of this,
364
00:19:01,508 --> 00:19:04,911
this was what
everybody believed.
365
00:19:04,944 --> 00:19:08,381
(narrator)
It wasn't until the 1600s
that Copernicus
366
00:19:08,415 --> 00:19:10,417
proposed that we inhabit
a solar system
367
00:19:10,450 --> 00:19:11,818
with the Sun
at the center
368
00:19:11,851 --> 00:19:14,287
and all the planets
revolving around it,
369
00:19:14,321 --> 00:19:16,389
including Earth.
370
00:19:19,392 --> 00:19:21,294
By the late 20th century,
371
00:19:21,328 --> 00:19:24,564
scientists believed
that they fully understood
372
00:19:24,597 --> 00:19:28,968
the mechanics
of how solar systems evolve.
373
00:19:29,001 --> 00:19:32,439
For many years, the only example
of a solar system that we had
374
00:19:32,472 --> 00:19:34,474
was our solar system
375
00:19:34,507 --> 00:19:37,977
and the eight planets
that orbit here around our Sun.
376
00:19:38,010 --> 00:19:42,382
(narrator)
We based our entire view
of how solar systems are born
377
00:19:42,415 --> 00:19:45,985
on our own solar system...
378
00:19:46,018 --> 00:19:49,556
but the sudden discovery
of thousands of exoplanets
379
00:19:49,589 --> 00:19:53,760
has shown that apparently
we were wrong.
380
00:19:55,328 --> 00:19:57,964
Now we have a plethora
of different systems,
381
00:19:57,997 --> 00:20:00,467
all of which
are totally different
382
00:20:00,500 --> 00:20:04,504
and some very similar to ours
and then some very alien.
383
00:20:05,905 --> 00:20:08,475
(narrator)
The way our solar system formed
384
00:20:08,508 --> 00:20:11,911
produced essentially
two kinds of planets.
385
00:20:11,944 --> 00:20:13,746
One type is
the rocky planets.
386
00:20:13,780 --> 00:20:15,582
We call them
terrestrial planets.
387
00:20:15,615 --> 00:20:17,016
The other would be
giant planets
388
00:20:17,049 --> 00:20:19,486
like Jupiter and Saturn.
389
00:20:19,519 --> 00:20:21,020
(narrator)
This made sense
390
00:20:21,053 --> 00:20:25,024
because of how we thought
solar systems evolve.
391
00:20:25,057 --> 00:20:28,261
(Walkowicz)
When solar systems form,
they collapse
392
00:20:28,295 --> 00:20:29,762
from a large cloud of gas,
393
00:20:29,796 --> 00:20:32,799
and the central mass of them
becomes the star,
394
00:20:32,832 --> 00:20:35,368
whereas the disk
of material that's left over
395
00:20:35,402 --> 00:20:39,339
around that central star
becomes the planets.
396
00:20:40,940 --> 00:20:42,909
(narrator)
Close to the star's warmth,
397
00:20:42,942 --> 00:20:46,513
the most common elements,
hydrogen and helium,
398
00:20:46,546 --> 00:20:51,918
are heated into gases
and blown away by solar winds.
399
00:20:51,951 --> 00:20:54,787
So, near the star,
the only materials left
400
00:20:54,821 --> 00:20:59,492
for making planets
are heavier, rocky elements.
401
00:20:59,526 --> 00:21:01,060
This is where
its warm enough
402
00:21:01,093 --> 00:21:03,430
that you can really
only condense out
403
00:21:03,463 --> 00:21:06,533
rock and metal to form
these little planets.
404
00:21:06,566 --> 00:21:08,735
However, further out
in the solar system,
405
00:21:08,768 --> 00:21:10,537
beyond what we call
the snow line,
406
00:21:10,570 --> 00:21:12,339
temperatures
are cool enough
407
00:21:12,372 --> 00:21:14,574
where you can condense gases
408
00:21:14,607 --> 00:21:16,643
and form these
very large envelopes
409
00:21:16,676 --> 00:21:20,647
that eventually become planets
like Jupiter and Saturn.
410
00:21:21,848 --> 00:21:23,416
We thought,
"This is the plan
411
00:21:23,450 --> 00:21:25,418
for all solar systems."
412
00:21:25,452 --> 00:21:29,422
Boy, were we wrong.
413
00:21:29,456 --> 00:21:32,024
(narrator)
The tip-off
for how wrong we were
414
00:21:32,058 --> 00:21:35,328
was the discovery
of a class of exoplanets
415
00:21:35,362 --> 00:21:37,930
that theoretically
can't exist,
416
00:21:37,964 --> 00:21:39,499
except they do,
417
00:21:39,532 --> 00:21:43,403
the so-called "hot Jupiters."
418
00:21:43,436 --> 00:21:45,938
A lot of the first
exoplanets found
419
00:21:45,972 --> 00:21:48,375
are what are called
"hot Jupiters"--
420
00:21:48,408 --> 00:21:51,578
big, massive planets
that actually orbit
421
00:21:51,611 --> 00:21:53,713
very close to a star,
422
00:21:53,746 --> 00:21:56,449
having a orbital period
of a day or only a few days
423
00:21:56,483 --> 00:21:59,586
or ten days.
424
00:21:59,619 --> 00:22:02,989
(narrator)
HD 209458b
425
00:22:03,022 --> 00:22:07,560
zips around its Sun-like star
in 3 1/2 days...
426
00:22:08,895 --> 00:22:12,131
While our Sun's
closest planet, Mercury,
427
00:22:12,164 --> 00:22:14,901
takes 88 days.
428
00:22:14,934 --> 00:22:19,472
(Seager)
HD 209458b
is an iconic planet.
429
00:22:19,506 --> 00:22:22,509
We also think that
the atmosphere's being blown off
430
00:22:22,542 --> 00:22:24,544
by interacting with the star
and heating up
431
00:22:24,577 --> 00:22:26,145
and by wind from the star
hitting the planet,
432
00:22:26,178 --> 00:22:30,550
and its atmosphere
will be slowly whittled away.
433
00:22:30,583 --> 00:22:34,421
(narrator)
Losing about 10,000 tons of gas
every second,
434
00:22:34,454 --> 00:22:39,158
this planet is,
in effect, evaporating.
435
00:22:39,191 --> 00:22:41,861
It looks like a comet
with a huge tail
436
00:22:41,894 --> 00:22:43,496
stretched out
behind it.
437
00:22:43,530 --> 00:22:46,399
Eventually that atmosphere's
going to be gone,
438
00:22:46,433 --> 00:22:48,000
and all that's
going to be left
439
00:22:48,034 --> 00:22:52,071
is a little molten core
of what this planet used to be,
440
00:22:52,104 --> 00:22:56,509
orbiting nearby
this bright star.
441
00:22:56,543 --> 00:23:00,480
(narrator)
But these hot Jupiters
are far too close to their stars
442
00:23:00,513 --> 00:23:02,949
to have formed there
originally,
443
00:23:02,982 --> 00:23:05,084
so what happened?
444
00:23:05,117 --> 00:23:09,055
Scientists now believe
these hot Jupiter solar systems
445
00:23:09,088 --> 00:23:10,723
began like ours,
446
00:23:10,757 --> 00:23:15,027
with the gas giants
forming out past the snow line,
447
00:23:15,061 --> 00:23:18,931
but then the gravitational pull
of the disk
448
00:23:18,965 --> 00:23:23,536
or of various planets
or even passing stars
449
00:23:23,570 --> 00:23:28,074
caused the orbits
of the gas giants to go haywire.
450
00:23:28,107 --> 00:23:32,812
They migrated inwards,
spiraling toward their suns,
451
00:23:32,845 --> 00:23:35,648
and that process spelled doom
for the smaller,
452
00:23:35,682 --> 00:23:39,952
Earthlike planets
closer to the star.
453
00:23:39,986 --> 00:23:42,855
Well, you'd have
the star over here.
454
00:23:42,889 --> 00:23:45,525
You'd have
a Jupiter-size planet here,
455
00:23:45,558 --> 00:23:48,628
and as it moved in,
the little, rocky planets
456
00:23:48,661 --> 00:23:51,598
would either be thrown
into the star
457
00:23:51,631 --> 00:23:54,801
or thrown
out of the solar system,
458
00:23:54,834 --> 00:23:58,137
or they could be captured
by that big Jupiter
459
00:23:58,170 --> 00:24:01,007
and orbit around it
like a moon.
460
00:24:03,209 --> 00:24:07,013
(narrator)
The planets tossed
out of the solar system
461
00:24:07,046 --> 00:24:11,818
are doomed to wander forever
in deep space.
462
00:24:11,851 --> 00:24:15,722
Some researchers now believe
that the galaxy holds billions
463
00:24:15,755 --> 00:24:18,691
of these dark,
lost worlds.
464
00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:24,263
So it turns out
that our orderly solar system,
465
00:24:24,296 --> 00:24:27,266
with the rocky planets
close to the sun
466
00:24:27,299 --> 00:24:30,002
and the gas giants
further out,
467
00:24:30,036 --> 00:24:32,539
may be a lucky exception.
468
00:24:34,707 --> 00:24:37,043
(Filippenko)
Earth has achieved a stability
469
00:24:37,076 --> 00:24:40,747
that allowed life
to develop and evolve
470
00:24:40,780 --> 00:24:45,017
in a relatively un-hassled way
for billions of years,
471
00:24:45,051 --> 00:24:46,753
and in many other
planetary systems,
472
00:24:46,786 --> 00:24:51,090
that may not be
the case.
473
00:24:51,123 --> 00:24:53,292
(narrator)
But while the discovery
of new planets
474
00:24:53,325 --> 00:24:57,630
has challenged some ideas
of how solar systems evolve,
475
00:24:57,664 --> 00:25:00,767
it's confirming others,
476
00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:03,636
including the catastrophic idea
477
00:25:03,670 --> 00:25:06,138
of colliding worlds
478
00:25:06,172 --> 00:25:10,076
and even how the Earth
will one day die.
479
00:25:17,216 --> 00:25:19,886
(narrator)
Many ancient ideas about planets
480
00:25:19,919 --> 00:25:22,955
seem simplistic...
481
00:25:22,989 --> 00:25:27,126
but around 400 BC,
the Greek philosopher Democritus
482
00:25:27,159 --> 00:25:29,128
proposed ideas that seemed
483
00:25:29,161 --> 00:25:33,232
straight out
of a modern science textbook,
484
00:25:33,265 --> 00:25:36,068
including ideas
about fiery cataclysms
485
00:25:36,102 --> 00:25:39,071
in the Earth's past...
486
00:25:39,105 --> 00:25:40,807
and a terrifying idea
487
00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:44,811
about how the Earth
will one day die.
488
00:25:44,844 --> 00:25:46,813
He was the first
to come up with the idea
489
00:25:46,846 --> 00:25:50,016
that things were made
of smaller things.
490
00:25:50,049 --> 00:25:51,350
He called them atoms,
491
00:25:51,383 --> 00:25:55,788
and they came together
and grew and grew
492
00:25:55,822 --> 00:25:57,724
into stars,
into planets,
493
00:25:57,757 --> 00:26:00,192
into everything
that is around us.
494
00:26:02,061 --> 00:26:04,063
(narrator)
When it comes to planets,
495
00:26:04,096 --> 00:26:06,298
Democritus wrote that
496
00:26:06,332 --> 00:26:11,137
"there are innumerable worlds
of different sizes.
497
00:26:11,170 --> 00:26:15,274
"In some," he wrote,
"there is neither sun nor moon.
498
00:26:15,307 --> 00:26:18,911
"In others,
their sun is larger than ours,
499
00:26:18,945 --> 00:26:23,149
and others have
more than one sun"...
500
00:26:23,182 --> 00:26:27,119
all of which,
amazingly, is true.
501
00:26:27,153 --> 00:26:29,956
The interesting
philosophical question is,
502
00:26:29,989 --> 00:26:32,859
how did he come up
with this idea?
503
00:26:32,892 --> 00:26:35,995
It shows the uniqueness
of the human mind
504
00:26:36,028 --> 00:26:40,767
to be able to project
and ask, "What if?"
505
00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:43,936
And then, using logic,
put together
506
00:26:43,970 --> 00:26:48,841
a philosophy
of how everything works.
507
00:26:48,875 --> 00:26:53,412
(narrator)
Today, as we discover planets
around alien suns,
508
00:26:53,445 --> 00:26:56,783
many of Democritus'
ancient ideas
509
00:26:56,816 --> 00:27:00,119
have been confirmed
by modern science.
510
00:27:01,854 --> 00:27:04,724
For example, he wrote
that some planets
511
00:27:04,757 --> 00:27:08,728
are destroyed by collision...
512
00:27:08,761 --> 00:27:13,065
and now we're actually watching
that happen.
513
00:27:13,099 --> 00:27:17,403
This is the hot Jupiter
called WASP-18b,
514
00:27:17,436 --> 00:27:22,809
a planet caught in the act
of plunging into its star.
515
00:27:22,842 --> 00:27:25,211
It's been orbiting
for possibly 2 billion years,
516
00:27:25,244 --> 00:27:27,246
but within the next
million years,
517
00:27:27,279 --> 00:27:30,049
it's going into its star,
518
00:27:30,082 --> 00:27:32,719
and the whole shape
of this round world
519
00:27:32,752 --> 00:27:36,889
will be stretched
like an egg.
520
00:27:36,923 --> 00:27:41,060
(narrator)
While WASP-18b confirms
Democritus' idea
521
00:27:41,093 --> 00:27:43,162
of how planets can die,
522
00:27:43,195 --> 00:27:47,199
another new discovery
confirms his ancient prediction
523
00:27:47,233 --> 00:27:50,302
that planets
can crash head-on.
524
00:27:52,238 --> 00:27:56,308
The planet HD 172555
525
00:27:56,342 --> 00:28:00,913
is a world in the aftermath
of a collision.
526
00:28:00,947 --> 00:28:03,816
What we think we're seeing
is two large rocky planets
527
00:28:03,850 --> 00:28:05,317
which had just crashed
into each other,
528
00:28:05,351 --> 00:28:06,986
thrown up
a bunch of dust,
529
00:28:07,019 --> 00:28:10,189
melted rock
kind of accreted together.
530
00:28:10,222 --> 00:28:13,392
(narrator)
Scientists have long speculated
that a collision like this
531
00:28:13,425 --> 00:28:15,494
happened
to the early Earth,
532
00:28:15,527 --> 00:28:19,098
tossing up debris
that created our moon.
533
00:28:19,131 --> 00:28:22,234
For decades,
that was just a theory.
534
00:28:22,268 --> 00:28:26,105
Now they can actually
watch it happen.
535
00:28:26,138 --> 00:28:29,508
Gases were given off.
Glass was created.
536
00:28:29,541 --> 00:28:32,311
And now they're fusing
back into this remain
537
00:28:32,344 --> 00:28:34,413
of this world
that will be cooling down,
538
00:28:34,446 --> 00:28:36,849
but right before
our very eyes.
539
00:28:36,883 --> 00:28:40,252
There's a space wreck
right in front of us.
540
00:28:40,286 --> 00:28:44,356
(narrator)
Democritus' ancient theories
about the death of planets
541
00:28:44,390 --> 00:28:47,860
are bolstered
by another major discovery:
542
00:28:47,894 --> 00:28:52,999
a dying planet
called Kepler-91b.
543
00:28:53,032 --> 00:28:56,969
Scientists have long believed
that in the distant future
544
00:28:57,003 --> 00:28:58,771
the Sun will swell up,
545
00:28:58,805 --> 00:29:03,475
engulfing the dying Earth
in an inferno.
546
00:29:03,509 --> 00:29:05,311
And this isn't
just a theory now
547
00:29:05,344 --> 00:29:09,248
because we think
we see this with Kepler-91b.
548
00:29:09,281 --> 00:29:14,286
(narrator)
Kepler-91b's star,
about the same mass as the Sun,
549
00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:17,556
has already swollen
into a red giant.
550
00:29:17,589 --> 00:29:21,360
It's now about six times
our Sun's radius
551
00:29:21,393 --> 00:29:24,063
and growing rapidly.
552
00:29:26,098 --> 00:29:29,101
If there were oceans here...
553
00:29:29,135 --> 00:29:31,270
they're already evaporated.
554
00:29:31,303 --> 00:29:33,940
If there is life,
555
00:29:33,973 --> 00:29:36,075
it's in trouble.
556
00:29:36,108 --> 00:29:38,177
On this world,
if you wanted to see life,
557
00:29:38,210 --> 00:29:39,578
you'd be there at night.
558
00:29:39,611 --> 00:29:41,948
Everything would come out
when it's cooler,
559
00:29:41,981 --> 00:29:45,051
and then in the day,
it would disappear once again,
560
00:29:45,084 --> 00:29:49,055
and the most precious commodity
on this world would be water.
561
00:29:49,088 --> 00:29:52,424
Everybody, everything
would be looking for water,
562
00:29:52,458 --> 00:29:56,195
and yet this is our future.
563
00:29:56,228 --> 00:29:59,531
We're seeing it now.
564
00:29:59,565 --> 00:30:02,234
(narrator)
Like Earth, Kepler-91b
565
00:30:02,268 --> 00:30:06,138
is doomed to be swallowed
by its sun.
566
00:30:06,172 --> 00:30:09,942
Unlike Earth,
its time is almost up,
567
00:30:09,976 --> 00:30:13,545
but could a planet
survive that fate?
568
00:30:13,579 --> 00:30:18,417
Apparently
we found one that did.
569
00:30:18,450 --> 00:30:22,221
V391 Pegasi is an example
of an exoplanet
570
00:30:22,254 --> 00:30:25,357
that has physically survived
the red giant stage
571
00:30:25,391 --> 00:30:28,160
of the star
that it orbits.
572
00:30:28,194 --> 00:30:31,063
(Aguilar)
It's sun turned into a red giant
and grew larger
573
00:30:31,097 --> 00:30:32,531
and larger and larger
574
00:30:32,564 --> 00:30:35,634
until it actually consumed
this world.
575
00:30:35,667 --> 00:30:39,071
And then as its sun
has shrunken back down,
576
00:30:39,105 --> 00:30:42,008
the world remains.
577
00:30:42,041 --> 00:30:45,344
(narrator)
Since V391 Pegasi
is still there,
578
00:30:45,377 --> 00:30:49,348
it's the first known planet
to survive a close encounter
579
00:30:49,381 --> 00:30:52,384
with the kind of red giant
that will one day threaten
580
00:30:52,418 --> 00:30:54,486
to destroy Earth...
581
00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:57,589
if you can call that survival.
582
00:30:57,623 --> 00:31:02,461
That world now
is one burnt, rocky planet.
583
00:31:02,494 --> 00:31:05,264
Anything that
was living is gone.
584
00:31:05,297 --> 00:31:08,034
It's disappeared.
585
00:31:10,369 --> 00:31:13,239
(narrator)
Newly discovered planets
like these
586
00:31:13,272 --> 00:31:17,076
give us a glimpse
into Earth's future,
587
00:31:17,109 --> 00:31:20,512
but there are other planets
out there so strange,
588
00:31:20,546 --> 00:31:24,583
they seem ripped
from an alternate universe.
589
00:31:24,616 --> 00:31:27,553
What is mankind's
secret weapon
590
00:31:27,586 --> 00:31:31,057
for unmasking
these mysterious worlds?
591
00:31:38,597 --> 00:31:40,599
(narrator)
Less than 20 years ago,
592
00:31:40,632 --> 00:31:43,535
scientists were still struggling
to discover
593
00:31:43,569 --> 00:31:48,074
a single planet
outside our solar system.
594
00:31:48,107 --> 00:31:51,310
Today we've discovered
thousands.
595
00:31:51,343 --> 00:31:56,082
How did we do all this
and do it so quickly?
596
00:31:56,115 --> 00:32:00,386
The revolution begins
in the 1990s.
597
00:32:00,419 --> 00:32:04,991
Scientists knew that planets
cause their host stars to wobble
598
00:32:05,024 --> 00:32:08,694
and finally developed a way
to detect this.
599
00:32:08,727 --> 00:32:12,031
(Aguilar)
We now have instruments
with microelectronics,
600
00:32:12,064 --> 00:32:13,565
a spectrograph,
601
00:32:13,599 --> 00:32:16,468
that could act like
a policeman's radar gun.
602
00:32:16,502 --> 00:32:18,304
We could take
a look at a star,
603
00:32:18,337 --> 00:32:20,606
and we could see
if it was moving towards us
604
00:32:20,639 --> 00:32:22,508
or away from us.
605
00:32:26,045 --> 00:32:27,579
(narrator)
Using that technique,
606
00:32:27,613 --> 00:32:30,382
scientists discovered something
that had eluded
607
00:32:30,416 --> 00:32:35,187
not only the ancients,
but even modern astronomers--
608
00:32:35,221 --> 00:32:39,525
the very first planets
outside our solar system.
609
00:32:42,228 --> 00:32:46,065
But were there
even better ways to search?
610
00:32:46,098 --> 00:32:48,167
Once we knew there were planets
around other stars,
611
00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:50,136
people suggested
that there might be another way
612
00:32:50,169 --> 00:32:54,140
in which
you could find planets.
613
00:32:54,173 --> 00:32:56,708
(narrator)
That way was to look
for little eclipses
614
00:32:56,742 --> 00:33:00,712
caused when the planets passed
between their host stars
615
00:33:00,746 --> 00:33:04,216
and our vantage point
on Earth.
616
00:33:04,250 --> 00:33:08,387
These tiny eclipses
are called transits...
617
00:33:08,420 --> 00:33:11,123
like the transit of Venus
we saw from Earth
618
00:33:11,157 --> 00:33:14,493
in 2012.
619
00:33:14,526 --> 00:33:17,429
This creates a tiny dip
in the brightness of the star,
620
00:33:17,463 --> 00:33:19,731
which we can measure
as it happens again and again
621
00:33:19,765 --> 00:33:22,768
as the exoplanet
goes around in its orbit.
622
00:33:25,404 --> 00:33:27,373
(narrator)
But from Earth's surface,
623
00:33:27,406 --> 00:33:31,410
the transit technique
had serious limitations.
624
00:33:31,443 --> 00:33:34,746
You really need to monitor
the star all the time
625
00:33:34,780 --> 00:33:37,383
without interruption
in order to have
626
00:33:37,416 --> 00:33:41,653
a good chance
of not missing any transits.
627
00:33:41,687 --> 00:33:45,624
(narrator)
That's where NASA's
Kepler space telescope comes in.
628
00:33:53,165 --> 00:33:57,336
Launched high above
Earth's distorting atmosphere,
629
00:33:57,369 --> 00:34:00,406
it pointed at just one spot
in the sky--
630
00:34:00,439 --> 00:34:03,709
a field of 150,000 stars,
631
00:34:03,742 --> 00:34:06,378
taking continuous pictures
of that region
632
00:34:06,412 --> 00:34:09,581
over and over again
for four years,
633
00:34:09,615 --> 00:34:12,718
with space-age precision.
634
00:34:12,751 --> 00:34:16,088
Would it find a sky
brimming with planets
635
00:34:16,122 --> 00:34:19,491
or a dark and empty void?
636
00:34:19,525 --> 00:34:23,562
Lo and behold, planets started
moving across their stars,
637
00:34:23,595 --> 00:34:25,464
and we started
seeing their orbits.
638
00:34:25,497 --> 00:34:27,433
And we waited and waited--
639
00:34:27,466 --> 00:34:30,136
another year,
another crossing,
640
00:34:30,169 --> 00:34:33,472
another year,
another crossing.
641
00:34:35,607 --> 00:34:39,445
(narrator)
But scientists quickly turned
to a larger question.
642
00:34:39,478 --> 00:34:44,750
Could any of these planets
be similar to Earth?
643
00:34:44,783 --> 00:34:47,453
(Knutson)
The majority of the stars
in the Kepler field
644
00:34:47,486 --> 00:34:49,188
seemed to have planets,
645
00:34:49,221 --> 00:34:50,789
and Kepler was actually
sensitive enough
646
00:34:50,822 --> 00:34:53,125
to detect a planet
the same size
647
00:34:53,159 --> 00:34:55,661
or even smaller
than the size of the Earth,
648
00:34:55,694 --> 00:34:58,164
and it found enough of those
that we now know
649
00:34:58,197 --> 00:35:02,768
that small planets are much
more common than large ones.
650
00:35:02,801 --> 00:35:07,173
(narrator)
That, in fact, was Kepler's
revolutionary purpose...
651
00:35:08,907 --> 00:35:13,179
To find Earthlike planets
that could harbor life.
652
00:35:14,780 --> 00:35:16,748
In this mission,
we found them,
653
00:35:16,782 --> 00:35:19,851
but we found a lot
of other surprises too.
654
00:35:23,655 --> 00:35:25,657
(narrator)
But as scientists
struggled to discover
655
00:35:25,691 --> 00:35:29,561
the total number of planets
that exist in the galaxy,
656
00:35:29,595 --> 00:35:33,199
they ran up against Kepler's
major limitation--
657
00:35:33,232 --> 00:35:36,635
it can only spot planets
that transit their star
658
00:35:36,668 --> 00:35:38,737
as seen from Earth,
659
00:35:38,770 --> 00:35:41,540
and most planets do not.
660
00:35:41,573 --> 00:35:44,176
If we have
a transiting planet system,
661
00:35:44,210 --> 00:35:46,345
then we need
the alignment to be perfect
662
00:35:46,378 --> 00:35:49,215
for that planet
to go around its star
663
00:35:49,248 --> 00:35:51,250
and to block just
a little bit of that light
664
00:35:51,283 --> 00:35:53,619
from getting to us
from our point of view.
665
00:35:53,652 --> 00:35:55,554
However, if we took
this system
666
00:35:55,587 --> 00:35:58,524
and we tilted it up
such that that alignment
667
00:35:58,557 --> 00:35:59,891
no longer happened,
668
00:35:59,925 --> 00:36:02,628
then the planet would
still be going around its star,
669
00:36:02,661 --> 00:36:04,763
but it would never block
any of the star's light
670
00:36:04,796 --> 00:36:06,198
from getting to us,
671
00:36:06,232 --> 00:36:08,900
and we wouldn't
see a transit at all.
672
00:36:08,934 --> 00:36:11,470
(narrator)
Scientists realized
that the chances
673
00:36:11,503 --> 00:36:13,805
that an Earthlike planet
will transit
674
00:36:13,839 --> 00:36:16,708
are 1 in 210.
675
00:36:16,742 --> 00:36:20,546
Using that ratio
gives us a staggering estimate
676
00:36:20,579 --> 00:36:24,716
of how many planets
actually exist.
677
00:36:24,750 --> 00:36:28,620
(Aguilar)
What this tells us
is that in our Milky Way galaxy,
678
00:36:28,654 --> 00:36:32,924
which has between 200 billion
and 400 billion stars,
679
00:36:32,958 --> 00:36:36,862
there may be almost
230 million
680
00:36:36,895 --> 00:36:39,831
other planet Earths
out there.
681
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:45,371
(narrator)
Once Kepler detects
a possible planet,
682
00:36:45,404 --> 00:36:49,708
scientists across the globe
race into action.
683
00:36:49,741 --> 00:36:51,910
(Aguilar)
Another group
of astronomers takes over
684
00:36:51,943 --> 00:36:53,745
with telescopes
here on the Earth
685
00:36:53,779 --> 00:36:55,747
with huge spectrographs,
686
00:36:55,781 --> 00:36:57,749
and they take a look
at this world
687
00:36:57,783 --> 00:37:00,586
and look for the star
to wobble.
688
00:37:00,619 --> 00:37:02,854
We need both
these processes now
689
00:37:02,888 --> 00:37:04,890
to determine
what the planet is
690
00:37:04,923 --> 00:37:07,426
and how far away it is
and what it looks like
691
00:37:07,459 --> 00:37:09,728
and even what
it's made out of.
692
00:37:10,996 --> 00:37:14,966
[rumbling]
693
00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:18,337
(narrator)
Kepler roared into space
in March 2009
694
00:37:18,370 --> 00:37:20,472
on a Delta II rocket.
695
00:37:22,374 --> 00:37:24,443
In the first six weeks,
696
00:37:24,476 --> 00:37:28,780
it discovered
five previously unknown worlds.
697
00:37:28,814 --> 00:37:32,684
Today it has discovered
thousands.
698
00:37:32,718 --> 00:37:35,821
It's nearly impossible
to describe how revolutionary
699
00:37:35,854 --> 00:37:38,757
Kepler was for exoplanets.
700
00:37:38,790 --> 00:37:43,061
Kepler made so many discoveries
we never even expected.
701
00:37:43,094 --> 00:37:46,898
(narrator)
So far, some of the newly
discovered planets
702
00:37:46,932 --> 00:37:50,035
have challenged
and others have confirmed
703
00:37:50,068 --> 00:37:52,003
ancient theories
of how worlds
704
00:37:52,037 --> 00:37:55,841
are born and die,
705
00:37:55,874 --> 00:37:58,076
but even the ancients
never dreamed
706
00:37:58,109 --> 00:38:02,648
of the kinds of wondrous worlds
we're discovering today.
707
00:38:02,681 --> 00:38:04,983
How does the universe
708
00:38:05,016 --> 00:38:09,388
make a planet
of solid diamond?
709
00:38:14,059 --> 00:38:17,028
(narrator)
Ancient philosophers
like Democritus
710
00:38:17,062 --> 00:38:21,333
believed in a universe aglow
with amazing planets.
711
00:38:23,101 --> 00:38:26,438
But today's planet hunters
have discovered worlds
712
00:38:26,472 --> 00:38:30,576
far stranger than the ancients
ever suspected.
713
00:38:34,513 --> 00:38:38,384
You are orbiting
55 Cancri e.
714
00:38:38,417 --> 00:38:40,686
It's mostly made
of carbon,
715
00:38:40,719 --> 00:38:42,488
and due to extreme pressure
716
00:38:42,521 --> 00:38:47,593
and a surface temperature
of 4,892 degrees Fahrenheit,
717
00:38:47,626 --> 00:38:51,563
it just might be
a jeweler's dream.
718
00:38:51,597 --> 00:38:52,831
Now, think about this.
719
00:38:52,864 --> 00:38:55,133
What happens if you take
a piece of carbon
720
00:38:55,166 --> 00:38:57,736
and you have
the strength of Superman
721
00:38:57,769 --> 00:39:00,539
and you crush it
like this?
722
00:39:00,572 --> 00:39:02,741
What do you get?
723
00:39:02,774 --> 00:39:05,377
A diamond.
724
00:39:07,646 --> 00:39:10,616
(narrator)
If a diamond planet
isn't strange enough,
725
00:39:10,649 --> 00:39:13,619
let's descend
to another new discovery--
726
00:39:13,652 --> 00:39:18,490
HD 189773b.
727
00:39:18,524 --> 00:39:22,761
Its blue color makes
it look surprisingly like Earth,
728
00:39:22,794 --> 00:39:27,633
but in this case,
looks can be deceiving.
729
00:39:27,666 --> 00:39:29,635
This is a glass planet.
730
00:39:29,668 --> 00:39:31,169
It has mostly silicon,
731
00:39:31,202 --> 00:39:32,871
and the silicon
with the sunlight
732
00:39:32,904 --> 00:39:35,173
passing through it
appears to be blue,
733
00:39:35,206 --> 00:39:37,609
and it's very hot.
734
00:39:37,643 --> 00:39:41,847
In fact, the temperatures
near the surface are such
735
00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:44,049
that the silicate
can condense
736
00:39:44,082 --> 00:39:46,818
into fine little
particles of glass,
737
00:39:46,852 --> 00:39:50,121
so it might actually
rain glass
738
00:39:50,155 --> 00:39:52,023
on this exoplanet.
739
00:39:52,057 --> 00:39:55,060
But that rain would
move largely sideways
740
00:39:55,093 --> 00:39:58,063
because there are huge winds
in the atmosphere,
741
00:39:58,096 --> 00:40:01,099
up to 4,000 miles an hour.
742
00:40:05,571 --> 00:40:08,206
(narrator)
And the ancients
never predicted a planet
743
00:40:08,239 --> 00:40:11,577
covered with
a seeming impossibility--
744
00:40:11,610 --> 00:40:14,079
burning ice--
745
00:40:14,112 --> 00:40:20,085
yet that's what we find
on Gliese 436b.
746
00:40:20,118 --> 00:40:23,555
If you touched it,
you would be burned.
747
00:40:23,589 --> 00:40:27,058
This is a world
made of hot ice--
748
00:40:27,092 --> 00:40:30,128
something we never imagined
on Earth.
749
00:40:32,498 --> 00:40:37,135
(narrator)
Diamond planets,
planets of raining glass,
750
00:40:37,168 --> 00:40:40,105
worlds of burning hot ice--
751
00:40:40,138 --> 00:40:42,708
thanks to projects
like Kepler,
752
00:40:42,741 --> 00:40:45,511
the universe
is proving far stranger
753
00:40:45,544 --> 00:40:48,647
than either the ancients
or modern astronomers
754
00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:50,782
ever imagined,
755
00:40:50,816 --> 00:40:53,985
but more is soon to come.
756
00:40:57,623 --> 00:41:01,727
Scientists are bracing
for the discoveries of TESS,
757
00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:05,263
the Transiting Exoplanet
Survey Satellite,
758
00:41:05,296 --> 00:41:09,868
due to launch in 2017.
759
00:41:09,901 --> 00:41:13,905
Unlike Kepler,
which looks at one patch of sky,
760
00:41:13,939 --> 00:41:17,843
TESS will scan only the stars
that are so close,
761
00:41:17,876 --> 00:41:20,946
we might actually
visit them someday.
762
00:41:20,979 --> 00:41:23,782
(Seager)
We're mapping
the nearby stars for planets
763
00:41:23,815 --> 00:41:25,817
that we hope,
eventually in the future,
764
00:41:25,851 --> 00:41:30,255
our descendents will actually
be able to travel to.
765
00:41:30,288 --> 00:41:32,257
So we have a huge interest
in trying to find planets
766
00:41:32,290 --> 00:41:34,760
orbiting stars
that are very close to Earth.
767
00:41:37,996 --> 00:41:40,732
(narrator)
Other new projects
have actually begun searching
768
00:41:40,766 --> 00:41:42,834
not just for life
769
00:41:42,868 --> 00:41:46,572
but for intelligence
and technology.
770
00:41:48,073 --> 00:41:50,842
One surprising key
is to look for stars
771
00:41:50,876 --> 00:41:53,845
that twinkle and pulse
in bizarre ways
772
00:41:53,879 --> 00:41:55,881
that could only be caused
773
00:41:55,914 --> 00:41:58,884
by advanced
alien civilizations.
774
00:42:00,619 --> 00:42:04,222
I used large databases
of observations of stars
775
00:42:04,255 --> 00:42:06,725
to try and understand
whether any of those stars
776
00:42:06,758 --> 00:42:08,326
could be varying
777
00:42:08,359 --> 00:42:11,997
in a way that was caused
by something artificial.
778
00:42:17,302 --> 00:42:19,337
(narrator)
But can we ever visit
the planets
779
00:42:19,370 --> 00:42:23,709
we are now discovering
in such abundance?
780
00:42:23,742 --> 00:42:27,045
I'm hopeful that at one point,
we'll eventually be able to send
781
00:42:27,078 --> 00:42:31,249
robotic probes to some
of these nearby solar systems.
782
00:42:34,786 --> 00:42:37,222
(Seager)
Not everyone believes
that it'll happen,
783
00:42:37,255 --> 00:42:39,758
but we're born explorers.
784
00:42:39,791 --> 00:42:41,359
We'll want to go.
785
00:42:41,392 --> 00:42:43,962
We have to have hope
that, in the future,
786
00:42:43,995 --> 00:42:48,266
if there's a will,
there's a way.
787
00:42:48,299 --> 00:42:52,871
(narrator)
Whether such a thing will happen
is anyone's guess,
788
00:42:52,904 --> 00:42:56,074
but one thing
is certain...
789
00:42:56,107 --> 00:42:58,810
thanks to today's
planet hunters,
790
00:42:58,844 --> 00:43:03,248
our views of the universe
and of our place in it
791
00:43:03,281 --> 00:43:06,818
are undergoing one
of the greatest revolutions
792
00:43:06,852 --> 00:43:09,621
in scientific history.
61878
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