"Ceres May Host Life" Topic

NASA's Dawn space probe detected the "building blocks of life" on the planet* Ceres:
link

*Yes, I know the IAU calls Ceres a "dwarf planet." But that still makes it a planet, now, doesn't it?

good for them. :p

The gas giants call Earth a dwarf planet. :)

Dan

On Jupiter, they call Earth "Tyrion".

I never called anyone a dwarf planet!

Besides, I prefer the term Circumference-Inhibited Orbital Object.

What planet is earth talking too in that comic?

It looks rocky, but there is no bigger rocky planet in the solar system then earth, yet that one is bigger.
Not that that gas giant looks like any of the gas giants in our solar system either.

Yeah. The nose is too big.

From the "primitive plants…." thread.

link

And more;

link

But can Ceres host Historicon?

But can Ceres host Historicon?

The question is if Ceres hosts "intelligent life ".

The real question is if Earth hosts intelligent life:

Building blocks do not a building make. However if something "lifelike" appears it should be safe from extinction….at least until we get there…

Building blocks do not a building make.

That is correct, the titles of the articles sometimes overstate the facts. However, you can't have the latter without the former.

Most of the articles I have read about Ceres have the scientists say that it seems impossible for life to take hold on something so small.

@Bowman:

What was that sci fi novel that operated on just that situation: an incredibly dense and hot asteroid was detected moving through our solar system. It had developed an atmosphere as it passed close to our sun. The gravitational pull of the thing was ridiculously huge for its size.

An exploration ship was sent to orbit the asteroid and study it. Most of the cool scientific details included in the story are long gone from my memory.

But in broad strokes, the plot involved the first signs that something bigger than merely the active "building blocks" of life was going on down there, when a scientist discovered regular, geometric shapes appearing on the surface. These were then observed to grow and alter quite rapidly, within a week's or few weeks' time.

At some point, the scientists in the orbiting observatory figured out that the shapes were actually built, and modified. So intelligent life was down there, morphing very, very fast. The upshot was that a sluglike species with curious appendages was at work evolving through its first sapient phase, through barbarism and into technological development: at a pace that was so fast that earth was effectively standing still. The orbiting space station was seen by the denizens of the asteroid as celestial body connected to "the gods", and the geometric structure (akin to Stonehenge or any number of our own ancient religious structures) was a temple or site of worship, etc.

In the midst of studying and after the first communicating (iirc), the asteroid went through a cataclysm: the surface, already densely packed, collapsed several inches, as the asteroid's inner gravitational pull made it even denser still. The civilization of the sapient sluglike species went through a relapse and recovery.

The former "gods", the scientists, were of course in constant contact with Earth, and this phenomenal, technological advance was so fast that it posed a challenge of what to do about it, vis-a-vis, did the species, made aware of humans (sloooooow moving humans), pose a danger to Earth because of the now more advanced technology of the "slugs"?

Once they developed space travel, it was arranged that one of their number would advance out to where the observatory was orbiting and sit completely still for a human week or so. Thus we would be able to see them "in the flesh" as it were, for the first time (instead of by photographic/video representation only). While sitting for a human week, the chosen alien astronaut almost starved to death, but the sacrifice was deemed worth the experience. While so poised, the alien noticed that the female observing him from the viewport window had breast cancer forming, and using his high potent weapons technology, focused a beam on the spot and eradicated the cancer. The woman only felt the briefest of stings.

Subsequent communication revealed what had just happened. This altruistic, charitable act on the part of the asteroid's highly advanced species convinced Earth's sapient species that the sluglike denizens rapidly progressing through our solar system posed no threat.

Observation continued as the asteroid got further and further from the sun and began to decay; its atmosphere cooled, as did its surface temperature, and the tiny aliens escaped their doomed world by space travel.

That's how I recall the plot, anyways. Does it sound familiar to any of you? I'd kind of like to read it again….

It sounds like Dragon's Egg,and its sequel,Starquake,by Robert L. Forward:

link

link

But the Cheela homeworld wasn't an asteroid,but a neutron star.

I do read a lot of Science Fiction, but I'm afraid this story escapes me. Sounds interesting, though. Sorry.

Edit: looks like someone came through. But how do you live on a Neutron Star?

Edit 2: Never mind. It's on the first link.

I was going to suggest Forward as the probable author, as it sounds like his work.

The much maligned Star Trek: Voyager did an episode clearly based on this story, though instead of curing a crewmember of cancer, the hyper-advanced aliens helped the Voyager escape from the planet's gravitational pull. It's actually a fairly effective episode, dealing with the impact of Voyager's presence on the cultures developing below. (The ship is visible from the planet as a bright star, then later through telescopes as a vessel, and its attempts to break free cause tremors in the planet, which are interpreted as the anger of the gods.) There's a very poignant bit when the holographic Doctor is beamed down to observe the culture and gets accidentally trapped for several of the planet's decades. He even has a family and descendants he leaves behind.

You might want to give it a viewing after re-reading the book.

Thanks. That's the one. I didn't know that there was a sequel. "Asteroid". Nope. My patchy memory at work, as always……….

I found the science,and the sections on the Cheela,fascinating.

Unfortunately,the writing in the human portions is just embarrassing.

After reading the wiki page, I wonder if I read both novels after all. "Star Quake" seems to be about that cataclysm I mentioned in my post above. It's been too long……….

@Winston: "On Jupiter, they call Earth 'Tyrion'"

It's because we're "Imp-ortant"!

Dan

By Jove!

I hope there's nothing on Ceres, because, imho, that' the best place for us to set up a permanent, off-planet habitat.