Avatar's Pandora possible within years?
Moon-life, as envisaged by James Cameron's Avatar
The concept of life on the moon may currently be limited to sci-fi blockbusters such as James Cameron's Avatar, but a leading astronomer has suggested it could become a reality in just a few years.
Cameron's 3D film centres on a race of blue-skinned giants which inhabit Pandora, an Earth-like moon orbiting a gas planet similar to Jupiter that cannot support life.
While Avatar has received much hype for its pioneering special effects, US astronomer and Harvard research associate Lisa Kaltenegger is excited about the film for a different reason.
"All of the gas giant planets in our solar system have rocky and icy moons," explains Dr Kaltenegger, who believes there is every chance a real-life version of Pandora will soon be found.
Dr Kaltenegger, who is based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, claims it is possible that alien Jupiters (gas planets that have not yet been discovered) will also have moons, some of which may be Earth-sized and able to hold onto an atmosphere.
A study published this month in National Geographic saw scientist Richard Greenberg claim that Europa, Jupiter's moon, contained enough oxygen to support millions of fishlike creatures.
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Nasa's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), due to be launched in 2014, will be able to identify nearby "exomoons" and discover if they are habitable, adds Dr Kaltenegger.
"If Pandora existed, we potentially could detect it and study its atmosphere in the next decade," she concluded.
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Comments
This is for the person who thinks its retarded...
in the movie everything is based on scientific facts theres a whole universe out there with endless possibilities theres millions of moons, planets, suns theres bound to be other earth like planets and atmospheres out there dont be so narrow minded where would we get if we all thought like that?
>>>>>Yea for random run-ons.
Well if the retarded wars stopped we could, but seeing how majority of the money in all continents goes to the army do you ever think we will find it? Without war we would be 400yrs more advanced than we are now. Without religion we would have more jobs. So many distractions; hope we can use money for science.
YOu guys are retarded. AVATAR is a movie, not a reality. you are all a bunch of mental retards
its so wonderful how the avatar are so connected to the world of pandora and to each other and how they bond with the horses and their eukrans. i wanna be an avatar and i would so give up 5 years of my life in cryo to become one!!! it would be everything ive ever dreamed of and i think that everyone aged from 6 months up to 18 years of age should be the only ones to go to pandora seeing as there the future of any world. and hurry up and find pandora already!!
my life sucks im becoming a navi i need it most so u all stay away or i will kill you
OMG IF WE CAN BE AVATARS THAT WILL BE SO FUCKING CRAZY AND AWESOME I MEAN WE CAN FLY DRAGONS AND BOND WIT HORSES AND I WOULD FLY THE BIG RED DRAGON!!!!!!!! I WANNA BE AN AVATAR SO PLEASE FIND FUCKING PANDORA RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are so many things out there that we just don't understand. I think it would be amazing to become a Na'vi and I would definately become one.
same here. if there's is ever a chance to go I'll fight for a spot.
Yeah if there is something living out there i'm willing to go there first. I whould trade my life to be a NA'VI. But i wanna ask James Cameron how he came up with the film ? maybe it was put in he's mind by a reason ?
theres somthing behind the avatar movie, they are hiding somthing from us...
Indigenous cultures that still practice the art of Shamanism use a technique called 'journeying' in which they can travel to non ordinary reality to consult with spirit guides. This technique as I understand it allows them as well to 'journey' anywhere in the Universe.
I bet they have already visited many places such as Pandora.... at no cost to the American taxpayer!
Michelle Baker
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if they find the navi too im so going to go there
not if I get there first!
if they find something while i'm living...im ready for the first ride