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Headlines about an "eyeball planet" got my attention last month. Then I got distracted by what I thought were more time-sensitive topics — and remembered what two scientists learned when they simulated ocean currents and winds on a tidally-locked exoplanet. That last item was from 2013. It's still the best discussion I've seen of what an "eyeball planet" might actually look like. Turns out that a patch of open ocean on a tidally locked exoplanet's ocean wouldn't necessarily be circular. But I'll admit that "eyeball planet" is a cool description. And may be easier to remember than terms like "lobster-like spatial pattern". So this week I'll be talking about LHS 1140 b, which may not be an "eyeball planet" after all, ocean planet simulations; and — briefly, for me — how I see extraterrestrial life. LHS 1140 b: Water, With Nitrogen in the Atmosphere — Maybe Tidally Locked Ocean Planets: Simple, and Not-So-Si...

NASA's "UAP Independent Study Team Report" used the words stigma, destigmatize, or destigmatizing about a dozen times. At 31 mostly-text pages, that works out to one of those words every two and a half pages. That's nowhere near the frequency I've seen for terms like "communist threat" or "climate change" in fevered philippics, but it was enough to get my attention. Particularly since I'm both a nerd and a convert to Catholicism. That's given me opportunities for experiencing scorn and/or bemused puzzlement: along the lines of 'how can you believe in that stuff'; or 'well, I don't believe in...'. Oh, boy. Before getting around to perceived existential threats and B movie space monsters, I'd better talk about "believe in". More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (UAPs and UFOs. Beliefs, assumptions, and science fiction movies of the 1950s. Extraterrestrial intelligence as a perceived exis...

Monday, I wondered what I was going to write about this week. Then I read that scientists found methane and carbon dioxide in a not-really-Earth-like planet's atmosphere — and saw a silly headline or two.... ...Anyway, K2-18's atmosphere is mostly on hold for now. Instead, I'll talk about (alleged) space alien bodies, Nazca Lines and (human) mummies. And I'll take a look at NASA's UAP report. A quick look. It's been one of those weeks. Nice Weather, a Drought, and Me "Two mummified alien corpses..." ??? "Experts", Extraterrestrials, and Exclamation Marks "Nazca Mummies" and — — The Skull of Doom Speculation and the Nazca Lines K2-18b: Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and — Plankton?! Existing UAP Reports: Acknowledging Possibilities Attitudes Questions More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (My take on science news this week: allegedly alien mummies, K2-18b and organic gasses, a NASA UAP report. Unwarranted ass...

Nerd alert! This week I used words like deuterium and magnetohydrodynamics. And I may have gone into more detail that necessary about why we didn’t have fusion power generators in the 1960s. A British company's plans for test-firing a fusion rocket engine got my attention last week. I'd planned on writing about it then, but a dental procedure and household matters got in the way. So I researched and made more notes over the weekend, and when my town's power came back online late Monday afternoon: the notes weren't there any more. That's something I may talk about, sometime next week. Anyway, I re-researched, got stuck and/or distracted a couple times — I'll talk about tralphium and mindsets in a bit — and ended up with this post. Which, as it turned out, included a bit about NASA's interest in UAPs and the serious search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Sunshine, Energy and Mass: Fusion Basics Thermonuclear Weapons, History and Ideas: Ver...

It's been two and a half weeks since NASA's "Public Meeting on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena", aired on YouTube. Or is that streamed on YouTube? Never mind. The NASA panelists did not announce contact with an extraterrestrial diplomat, or admit that they've been holding space aliens captive. So some of the folks who were contributing to the video's live chat were profoundly disappointed. The panelists did, however, discuss what Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) means, how they'll be collecting and analyzing data, and answered some questions. Ideally, I'd have listened to all four hours of the meeting, pondered its content, and would now be sharing the highlights. That didn't happen. But I did catch bits and pieces of the video: mostly during the last hour. So I'll be talking about that today, focusing on a former pilot and astronaut's experience: along with flying saucers, ball lightning and (very briefly) space aliens....

(From STR/AFP/Getty Images, via NPR, used w/o permission.) (China's FAST radio telescope, another eye on the universe since 2016.) Scientists in China's Guizhou province have been receiving radio signals from interstellar space since 2016. Three of these signals may have been from folks who aren't human, but use radio waves the way we do. Then again, maybe they weren't.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . Narrow-band signals from interstellar space. Tesla, pulsars, the Wow! signal and Tabby’s Star. Still looking for alien civilizations.

Throughout the ages, Saints and sages have pondered the big questions. Who are we? What are we? Why are our lives so messed up? Storytellers and movie makers — these groups overlap — also reflect on human nature from time to time. Sometimes they use use space aliens as placeholders for ideas and ideals, strengths and failings. I'll be talking about that, and why I don't "believe in" space aliens: but think we may have neighbors. Then again, maybe we don't. Which hasn't kept folks from wondering "what if?"... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I noticed "Research sheds new light on intelligent life existing across the galaxy" in last year's science news headlines. That, and "'Mirror Image' of the Earth and Sun Discovered 3000 Light-Years Away," started me writing about exoplanets, SETI and vaguely-related topics. About 8,400 words later.... ...So I saved what I'd written and proceeded with reading, writing and not going bonkers during an election-year pandemic. Some of the "...sheds new light..." material went into "My Top 10 Science News Stories For 2020." Most of it will (probably) go into this series. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I'm seeing "The Best of," "Top 10" and "2020 Top" headlines in my news feed: as usual for late December. Instead of waiting for someone else to highlight this year's science news stories, I'm making my own 'top 10' list. Each item is something that caught my attention, seemed important, or has been lurking in my 'to do' folders. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

We haven't found extraterrestrial life. But we're still finding planets circling other stars. Thousands of them. Some of those planets couldn't possibly support life as we know it. But some might. Atomic oxygen may be a good biosignature: evidence of life. That's what some scientists said in a recent paper. If they're right, we may be a step closer to finding life in this universe. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Scientists have been discussing alien life for some time: where it could be, what it might be like, and how we could find it. Quite a few non-scientists have been talking about the same thing. Some have pretty good grip on what we've been learning since Aristotle got famous and Anaxagoras didn't. Others have contributed to supermarket tabloid covers. And made informed discussion of extraterrestrial intelligence harder. Or more interesting, depending on your viewpoint. I see it as a bit of both. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

We've known about 55 Cancri e since 2004. It may have lakes and rivers of lava. But that's probably not what keeps its night side hot enough to melt copper. Ross 128 b, discovered this year, is a bit more massive than Earth, warm enough for liquid water, and too hot. It's not quite 'Earth 2.0,' but it may support life.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

" Scientists thought ‘Oumuamua was a comet when they spotted it last month. "Follow-up observations showed it was more like an asteroid: and going too fast to be from the solar system. "‘Oumuamua is from interstellar space. It's the first object of its kind we've seen. "What scientists are learning about ‘Oumuamua tells us a bit about other planetary systems, and raises intriguing new questions...." More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

We could detect oxygen in Proxima Centauri b's atmosphere. It's a biosignature, but not proof of life. Some extrasolar planets are like Earth, almost. Many are unlike anything in the Solar System. I'll be looking at recently-discovered worlds; some almost familiar, others wonderfully unexpected. Also an informal 'top 10 best exoplanets' list. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I nearly missed an interesting development in SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Interesting, and as newsworthy as most Stephen Hawking stories, but probably not significant. Professor Hawking didn't start chatting with aliens over the Labor Day weekend. That would be major news. But an outfit he's connected with will be listening to FRB 121102. I think it's likely that they'll collect useful data, and that this isn't a prelude to 'first contact.' Other scientists say they've spotted several planets orbiting Tau Ceti. Two of them may be just inside that star's habitable zone. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

There's a huge telescope under construction in Chile: the E-ELT. When compete, astronomers using it plan plan on looking for new worlds, and observing the early universe. We may have spotted a second super-Saturn. We'll know more about that in September.... ...Telescopes have come a long way since Galileo repurposed the " Dutch perspective glass " for astronomical observation. About Galileo, Copernicus, the sun, and the Church: it's true.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

TRAPPIST-1's planets may support life: or not. We don't know. Not yet. We're pretty sure that all seven are rocky worlds, like the Solar System's inner planets. Three are in the star's habitable zone. The inner two definitely do not have one sort of atmosphere that would make life as we know it impossible. Even if we don't find life there, we'll learn a great deal while looking. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Contacting extraterrestrial intelligence, meeting people whose ancestors developed on another world, has been a staple of pulp fiction for generations. Lately, it's become a matter for serious discussion. I'll be looking at an op-ed's take on how learning that we're not alone might affect folks with various religious beliefs. I'll also share what I expect: and what I don't.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I'd love to be talking about unambiguously artificial signals picked up by the Allen Telescope Array , or reports of a ship from beyond the Solar System settling into orbit around our moon. But that hasn't happened, and probably won't. Not in my lifetime. Instead, I'll talk about why I don't "believe in" extraterrestrial life; and do not assume that we are alone in the universe. That puts me in the third of folks who aren't sure, and I'll get back to that. My 'Friday' posts are usually about more-or-less-current 'science news.' That won't happen this week. I've read a few interesting articles, and will be talking about them — after the Christmas-New Year's gymkhana is over. This week I'm using material that didn't quite fit into an earlier post. I'll also talk about the Great Moon Hoax, Nicola Tesla and Martians; and what I think about life in the universe. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .