Dear Planets,
This morning I arrived at work groggy. Sometimes that happens here on this planet when we Earthlings don’t get out caffeinated fix in the morning. As I propped open this morning’s newspaper, I saw a small blurb about your discovery. According to the CBC apparently, NASA’s Kepler mission found five potential Earth-sized planets that “may support liquid water — and so possibly life.” There were another 49 floating around out there that sit snuggly in human “habitable zones”.
I have to say, I’m very excited to make your acquaintance. After all, you have to understand, it has been particularly lonely out there thinking we were the only kid on the block. You have no idea how this informed our world view for so very long. Sure we always figured there were more planets like you out there, but we just couldn’t find many to prove the point. Now, all of the sudden there are five of you! It’s kind of like hoping beyond hope for one baby and out pops quintuplets.
Of course we should not forget to also acknowledge your cousins. The addition exo-planets (who happen to be not so habitable) that the Kepler mission found. They aren’t as cool as you, but they’re still kinda cool! In one fell swoop, we’ve doubled the number of planets we are tracking out there in the great beyond.
Pretty good work for one telescope that has been searching 156,000 stars in its field of view — about 1/400th of the sky — for signs of planets since September 2009.
Anyway, I know we’ll probably never meet in person. The scientists say its a very long way for us Earthlings to visit you. But I do want to say, as we commence our long-term and long-distance relationship, the pleasure is undoubtedly all ours.
Till one day in the future dear planets.
Sincerely,
Kurt
PS. If any of you are harboring any life on your distant surfaces, please let it know that we’re snooping around and they should signal hello if they have a chance.