New Planet Discovered

Our galaxy, for those who don't know, contains roughly 100 billion stars (this is a conservative estimate, many sources put that number at closer to 300 billion). Around these 100 billion stars are even more planets, probably upward or close too a trillion. Now of that trillion it is estimated that around 200 billion planets sit within the "goldilocks zone" of their solar system, the "goldilocks zone" being a term coined to mean the band around the sun wherein the conditions are just right for life to exist (termed goldilocks because the conditions are "just right"- conclusive proof that scientists don't have a sense of humour).

 That means that life is likely to exist on 200 billion other planets within our galaxy alone, the reason why I'm telling you all this? So that you will suspend your disbelief when I tell you that scientists have discovered the exo-skeleton of a planet that is very much like Earth.
 

Pictured: What the planet almost certainly doesn't look like.

Before today precisely zero potentially earth-like planets have been discovered (with the slight exception of gliese 581c), hence why there is so much excitement surrounding the finding of this new planet, dubbed gliese 581g.

It differs from Earth in several ways though, most majorly its average temperatures are believed to range from between -12C and -31C; and the fact that unlike Earth, this alien world has one side always facing its sun and the other side constantly in the dark. This means that in-between the two sides, between shadow and light, there could be an area where life could potentially thrive.

In all honesty I would find it hard to believe that there isn't life on gliese 581g, if the planet has an atmosphere similar to ours and if it has been around for the last few billion years as scientists believe then life will almost certainly exist there, albeit most likely in a much different state to how it would be on Earth.

The planet lies 20 lightyears away, a relatively small distance comparative to our galaxy, it is therefore estimated that it would take a man-made craft travelling at 50,000km/hr a mere 20,000 years to reach the planet. So no chance of meeting any extra-terrestrials in our lifetime then D:

On second thoughts maybe that's not such a bad thing

If you'd like to know more then please visit the links below.

Links for more Information:
http://www.nbc.com/news-sports/msnbc-video/astronomers-discover-a-new-earth/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11444022
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090219-explanets-life.html

Just can't get enough

Ive recently started watching the series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the internet and am finding myself incredibly addicted. So i thought best to try and figure out to myself in this post the reasons why.

I mean am I just the stereotypical male in this situation, where I find Sarah Michelle Gellar incredibly hot, because lets be honest, she looks amazing on and off the screen and to say that she didn't give something to the slayer series is ridiculous.
But is it just down to her alone?
I am finding the mix of all the cast from Alyson Hannigan's character willow to Anthony Stewart head who plays Giles. All play a crucial part in helping to unfold each plot episode, and how the characters progress and evolve through each series keeps the watcher captured awaiting the next series.

I think those of you who have not seen each series all the way through  should definitely take some time to watch each episode individually and I guarantee you will not be dissapointed.

You can find all 7 series by going to projectfree TV along with many other tv series
you can also find each episode on youtube but the episodes will be in parts

Stephen Hawking's Universe

Stephen Hawking's Universe is currently halfway through it's series and seems to be passing the general public by, which I think is a great shame as it is without doubt one of the most interesting series to come out on TV recently. Hawking, generally acknowledged to be one othe most intelligent men in the world, has decided to confront a series of questions that are generally seen as unanswerable, and in each episode he answers them.

The questions Hawking addresses such as time travel and life in the universe are old ones, but his logic and sense of humour are flawless and he is an engrossing man to watch. With impressive visuals, Hawking begins to unravel the problems that surround these questions and slowly begins to build his theory throughout the episode, all whilst introducing interesting concepts and discussing past ideas.

In a time when Jersey Shore is seen as a good way to kill a few hours, I find it dismaying that people won't spare 40 minutes of their time to open their eyes to the scientific wonders of the universe around them.

I hope that all of you reading this will find time to watch the marvellous Stephen Hawking and his show which I've linked here: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/stephen-hawkings-universe/4od#3123482

By the way if you have any subjects or ideas that you'd like me to talk about, do write in the comments section below!

Austerity strikes hit E.U. nations

Just a quick post before I go make dinner: A number of EU nations have been gripped by debt recently and this has rendered 23 million people across the EU jobless.- a situation that has led to a number of protests in Europe's major cities, in particular Brussels and Barcelona but also in Greece, Italy, the Irish Republic and Latvia.

Everyone is feeling the pinch of the credit crunch, and as a student I'm not finding easy having to juggle between my course and 2 part-time jobs, and with no guarantee of a job once I leave it's no surprise that depression is also at an all time high.

Personally I think that the new austerity measures being implemented by the EU are a necessary evil, with the stock markets spiralling still (as Warren Buffet predicted they would in 1999 at Sun Valley), the world has a long way to go before it can pull out of this recession. Therefore reducing pensions, increasing the age of retirement and cutting wages are somewhat necessities if the EU and its sovereign states are to pull out this recession.

On the other hand though this recession can be mainly attributed to the fault of the banks and of the incompetent and corrupt bankers that run them and so they should be held more responsible than they have been. I think that they have got off leniently and considering their recklessness has set back the growth of many Western countries, the most culpable bankers should be brought to justice and charged accordingly.

I know this has become a tired subject now, but it is still a relevant one so feel free to post any comments you might have below. 

If you want to know more about the situation then follow the link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11432579

University Fees

I'm having trouble now in having to pay rent for my house here at uni, the student loans company cover university tution costs, but now they want to raise the charge to over 3 times as much for those costs, thats from £3,290 to around £10,000, which I will somehow have to repay at the end of my qualification. 

Even though only some university's will be applying this to their courses, it's a ridiculous amount of money to pay back as an undergraduate who has only just stepped out from his parents house into the world.


For more information visit this link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8026127/University-fees-could-triple-to-10000.html

The First Post

Creation of the first of anything is always seen as something that is momentous or special in some way, and I have to admit that writing my first blog entry on here does feel like a hallmark occasion, especially since the interweb has long been a mystery to me.

However I believe that the true value of something can only be ascertained from its lasting impression on the world around it, and so the first of something whilst by nature being original, is not something that should be held in particularly high regard. It's said that the first sentence in a book is the most important one, however I would much prefer that my faithful blog readers judged me on the consistency of my blogging than on the surface value of my first post.

Now that's out of the way, let us go awwww at this picture of my friend's new puppy. I hope you enjoy the blogs to come.