2828: Exoplanet Observation

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Exoplanet Observation

Title text: NASA prefers to say that their rovers are 'looking for signs of past life on Mars' and not 'ghost hunting.'

Explanation

This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by an ALIEN GHOST EXORCIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon. If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.

Spectral analysis as used in the study of exoplanets and other distant objects in space refers to using the intensities of different frequencies of light (and other electromagnetic frequencies) from stars which they occlude to infer data about their chemical composition. This is used to detect certain gases in the atmosphere, such as free oxygen, which might suggest generation by and for Earth-like life. On the day before this comic was published, NASA announced that spectral analysis of the exoplanet K2-18b showed abundance of methane and carbon dioxide, and shortage of ammonia, which are chemical footprints that support the hypothesis that it may have a life-supporting water ocean; and there was possible detection of dimethyl sulfide, which on Earth is only produced by life.[1] The word spectral as in spectral analysis refers to the electromagnetic spectrum. If confirmed, these would be very interesting scientific facts that would definitely drive further scrutiny, although it may yet turn out to be less remarkable on closer study.

"Spectral" is also a term sometimes used as a descriptor\adjective: to originate from (or exhibit properties of) supposed ghosts or "spectres". "Spectre" and "spectrum" have the same etymological root, deriving from Latin "spectrum" meaning "appearance", with a spectre specifically referring to a visible shadow or ghost. This comic leverages this pun, to humorously suggest that close study of exoplanetary shading could present a reasonable method of hunting for such ghosts:

In this comic, Cueball states that the specific reductions in detected light are theorized to indicate the presence of ghosts\spectres in the planet's atmosphere, similar to how gases or suspended particles absorb certain wavelengths. Like many atmospheric gases, ghosts\spectres are frequently presumed to be invisible under most conditions.^{[citation needed]} However, if these spectres have their own absorption spectrum distinguishing them from ordinary gases, the presence of such spectres in an exoplanet's atmosphere could be considered evidence of (past) alien life.

The title text refers to the search for past life on Mars. It humorously conflates the practice of searching for signs of past life, such as specific molecules or fossils (which NASA does actively search for), versus the disreputable practice of searching for evidence to support the existence of ghosts, with this conflation framing both as an equally scientific indication of past life. In a very loose sense, real signs such as gases or fossils could be considered "ghosts" of past life.

Transcript

This transcript is incomplete. Please help editing it! Thanks.

[Cueball is holding a stick and pointing at a slide with two ghosts and a planet]

Cueball: When the planet passed in front of its host star, some of the light was absorbed by ghosts, indicating that the planet is likely haunted.

[Caption below the panel]

Exoplanet Spectral Analysis

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Discussion

Probably, related to the recent Webb discovery of interesting gases in K2-18 b's atmosphere: https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/2023/webb-discovers-methane-carbon-dioxide-in-atmosphere-of-k2-18b Rps (talk)

Added! (Saw your comment after my edit). --Hddqsb (talk) 15:43, 13 September 2023 (UTC)

I am not finding a reference, but I think I read that Newton chose the word "spectrum" by analogy with the word "spectre" (which means ghost), since the rainbow colors were sort of "hiding" in the white light and were revealed by the prism. So it is not a coincidence that you can make puns like on this comic. Rps (talk) 17:59, 13 September 2023 (UTC)

Well, it seems to be at least co-conceived as a description of an (after)image of some original source, but it doesn't easily get explained as to whether it went from the latin root (to look at/view) straight via the 'ghostly' spectre and on unto the split-rainbow thing. (Except Newton did believe invsome seriously weird stuff, back when science was a bit looser and chemistry was almost alchemy, so... maybe!) 172.70.85.187 18:39, 13 September 2023 (UTC)

First, in Newton's time, those stuff wasn't weird. Second, what do you mean by "almost"? -- Hkmaly (talk) 22:37, 13 September 2023 (UTC)

It always amuses me that I have to teach schoolchildren that Newton was a 'scientist', a word that didn't really exist in his lifetime. He considered himself a 'natural philosopher', which at the time was a posh way of saying 'wizard', as well as being an alchemist. 'Magic' wasn't taboo then, but was seen as an acceptable hobby for the idle rich. Interestingly, although modern chemistry arose out of alchemy (but isn't even nearly the same thing), the magical practice of natural philosophy still goes on today, completely unchanged except for its name... we call it 'physics' now. BTW, Newton decided that the 'spectrum' was composed of seven colours (and inserted 'indigo' to fudge the results accordingly) because 7 is the 'God-number' in Kabbalah.--172.71.242.221 05:10, 14 September 2023 (UTC)

This explanation fails to take into account that if life were discovered through astronomy (as opposed to interstellar travel) on a planet that what is discovered would be "in the past." Because of the distance which light travels from other other stellar systems to earth everything which is observed by astronomy is "in the past". Thus the statement "past life" is exactly what astronomers are seeking to detect. Inquirer (talk) 20:32, 14 September 2023 (UTC)

Hi ProphetZarquon, regarding "shadow" (Revision 323794), I didn't realise it had etymological connection, sorry for removing. I still think that the word "shadow" feels out of place if there is no explanation, but I think your edit summary would be great as part of the article. I couldn't find any reference for Latin "specter" meaning "shadow", do you have one? --Hddqsb (talk) 14:29, 15 September 2023 (UTC)