How Many Habitable Planets are in the Milky Way Galaxy

One of the most profound questions we can ask about our universe is whether or not life exists out there. More popularly put, many people wonder if they have visited our planet? Those are good questions, but before scientists can answer those, they need to search out worlds where life might exist. NASAs Kepler Telescope is a planet-hunting instrument specifically designed to search for worlds orbiting distant stars. During its primary mission, it uncovered thousands of possible worlds out there and showed astronomers that planets are quite common in our galaxy. However, does that mean that any of them are actually habitable? Or better yet, that life actually exists on their surfaces? This Kepler Space Telescope image shows our position in the galaxy and the target area the telescope used to search out extrasolar planets across 3,000 light-years of space. The small blue circle on Earth shows the approximate extent that our radio, TV, and telecommunications signals have reached in just over a century since radio was first used. Galaxy painting by Jon Lomberg. NASA/Kepler Planet Candidates While data analysis is still underway, results from the Kepler mission have revealed thousands of planet candidates. More than three thousand have been confirmed as planets, and some of them are orbiting their host star in the so-called habitable zone. Thats a region around the star where liquid water could exist on the surface of a rocky planet. The numbers are encouraging, but they only reflect a small part of the sky. That is because Kepler did not survey the entire galaxy, but rather only one four-hundredth of the sky. And even then, its data only indicate a small fraction of the planets that could possibly exist throughout the galaxy. As additional data is accumulated and analyzed, the number of candidates will increase. Extrapolating out to the rest of the galaxy, scientists estimate that the Milky Way could contain upwards of 50 billion planets, 500 million of which could be in their stars habitable zones. Thats a lot of planets to discover! And of course, this is only for our own galaxy. There are billions upon billions more galaxies in the universe. Unfortunately, they are so far away that it is unlikely that we will ever know if life exists within them. However, if conditions were ripe for life in our neighborhood of the cosmos, chances are good that it can happen elsewhere, given enough materials and time. Its important to remember, however, that these numbers need to be taken with a grain of salt. Not all stars are created equal, and most of the stars in our galaxy exist in regions that may be inhospitable to life. Finding Planets in the Galactic Habitable Zone Normally when scientists use the words habitable zone, they are referring to a region of space around a star where a planet would be able to sustain liquid water, meaning the planet is neither too hot, nor too cold. But, it also  has to contain the needed blend of heavy elements and compounds to provide the necessary building blocks for life. A planet that occupies such a Goldilocks spot that is just right must also be free of the bombardment of excessive amounts of very high energy radiation (i.e., x-rays and gamma-rays). Those would seriously hinder the development of even basic life forms such as microbes. In addition, the planet probably shouldnt be in a very star-crowded region, since gravitational effects may prevent conditions from being conducive to life. Thats the reason that its not very likely there are worlds at the hearts of globular clusters, for example. A planets place in the galaxy may also affect its ability to contain life. In order to satisfy the heavy element condition, a world should be reasonably close to the galactic center (i.e., not near the edge of the galaxy). However, the inner parts of the galaxy could well be populated with supermassive stars about to die. Because of the high energy radiation from nearly continuous supernovae, that region could be dangerous for planets with life. The Galactic Habitable Zone So, where does that leave the search for life? The spiral arms are a good start, but they can be populated by a lot of supernova-prone stars or clouds of gas and dust where new stars are forming. So that leaves the regions between the spiral arms that are more than a third of the way out, but not too close to the edge. An artists concept of what our galaxy looks like from outside. Note the bar across the center and the two main arms, plus smaller ones. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESO/R. Hurt While controversial, some estimates put this Galactic Habitable Zone at less than 10% of the galaxy. Whats more is that, by its own determination, this region is decidedly star-poor; most of the galaxies stars in the plane are in the bulge (the inner third of the galaxy) and in the arms. So we may only be left with 1% of the galaxys stars that can support life-bearing planets. And it may be less than even that, much less. So How Likely Is Life in Our Galaxy? This, of course, brings us back to Drakes Equation—a somewhat speculative, yet fun tool for estimating the number of alien civilizations in our galaxy. The very first number on which the equation is based is simply the star formation rate of our galaxy. But it doesnt take into account where these stars are forming, an important element considering the fact that most of the new stars born reside outside the habitable zone. Suddenly, the wealth of stars, and therefore potential planets, in our galaxy seems rather small when considering the potential for life. So what does this mean for our search for life? Well, it is important to remember that however difficult it may appear for life to emerge, it did so at least once in this galaxy. So there is still hope that it could, and has, happened elsewhere. We just have to find it. Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Essay about Gunsmoke Synthesis - 644 Words

Gunsmoke Synthesis Between the years 1952 to 1961, the series Gunsmoke was broadcasted across the nation. The show gave people insight into a past life of men who carried guns, fought for what was theirs, and showed that even the hardest people could be tamed. It was a time when the heroes of the old west started settling down, and in doing so they were either good guys like sheriffs, or they were bad guys that robbed people or places. From the stories of Gunsmoke the central character was a U.S. Marshall named Matt Dillon. He was calm, steady, and easy to talk with. In Gunsmoke we see a man that takes his job seriously, from helping those in need to catching the wanted. The thing about Matt Dillon that catches you is that even†¦show more content†¦As a Marshall in a town the size of Dodge, Dillon would have to just about everything needed to be done, as in Bloody Hands when he walks into a bar that you new was about to have a gun fight, and breaks it up. Marshall Dillon was willing to do whatever needed to be done no matter how dangerous. When Marshall Dillon knew that the widow Hordbee had a bounty on him, he still sat on the porch showing no fear. Dillon had learned to depend on himself and he trusted very few others people. When the bad guys got out of hand it seemed like Marshall Dillon always had a gun in hand for in this place almost all men wore guns. In Bloody Hands we hear that Marshall Dillon hit one man in the head and knocked him out cold with his six gun handle. In the same way, the story Skid Row Dillon shoots and kills the young boy, the drunk, and all of the rest of the men that tried to get the thousand dollar bounty. To be a Marshall, he needed to be quick and very good with his gun as well as his mind. It seems like Dillon had a shoot first, then also questions later attitude, when it came bringing bad guys to justice. The thing that we need to remember is that the west was different then it is now, for the Marshall was more then just a law ma; he was the person that you needed to see to know what was allowed. One thing that Dillon said about himself is that he was The first man [people] look for and the last

Vitamin K Free Essays

Vitamin Mineral Project Sundria Carroll February 22nd, 2011 Diet 1310 650 Brenda Speight, Instructor Vitamin K Vitamins are a group of organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism, found in minute amounts in natural foods or sometimes produced synthetically. Vitamins help our bodies metabolize nutrients and grow cells. They come in two forms: those tat dissolve in water (vitamins B C) and those that are absorbed and stored in fat (vitamins A, D, E, and K). We will write a custom essay sample on Vitamin K or any similar topic only for you Order Now Vitamin K named for the German word for clotting â€Å"koagulation† is responsible for enabling your blood to clot, ensuring you don’t bleed out from a paper cut or small scratch. Vitamin K also teams up with calcium to strengthen your bones. Because vitamin K is fat soluble, be sure to consume this nutrient at the same time as a (healthy) fat because it will aid with its absorption. Some studies indicate that it helps in maintaining strong bones in the elderly. Vitamin K participates in the synthesis of bone proteins. Without vitamin K the bones produce an abnormal protein that cannot bind to the minerals that normally form bones. This results in bone density. Researchers continue to discover proteins needing vitamin K’s assistance. Vitamin K deficiency bleeding is a rare disease that occurs in approximately 1 in 10,000 newborns. The disease can cause significant damage to the brain of the newborn, and in some cases can also lead to death. It has been said that there is some good news about vitamin K deficiency bleeding is completely preventable. You can safeguard your baby from vitamin K deficiency bleeding by giving extra vitamin K to your child after birth. Newborns present a unique case of vitamin K nutrition because they are born with a sterile intestinal tract, and the vitamin K producing bacteria take weeks to establish themselves. To prevent any hemorrhagic disease in newborns usually a single dose of vitamin k is given. If for any reason the mother took medication for blood clotting, tuberculosis, or epilepsy during pregnancy, it is recommended that the baby be given Vitamin K through injection. The reason is that such babies may not be able to properly absorb Vitamin K orally. Vitamin is not toxic when consumed orally, even in large amounts. However, menadione (a synthetic, water-soluble vitamin K precursor) can cause toxicity and should not be used to treat vitamin K deficiency. People taking this drug should eat vitamin K enriched foods to keep their intakes consistent from day to day. Significant food sources: Bacterial synthesis in the digestive tract, liver, leafy green vegetables, cabbage, and milk. Specific recommendations depend on age, gender, and other factors (such as pregnancy). The best way to get the daily requirement of essential vitamins is to eat a balanced diet that contains a variety of foods from the food guide pyramid. The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine recommends the following dietary intake for vitamin K: Infants * 0 – 6 months: 2. 0 micrograms per day (mcg/day) * 7 – 12 months: 2. 5 mcg/day Children * 1 – 3 years: 30 mcg/day * 4 – 8 years: 55 mcg/day * 9 – 13 years: 60 mcg/day Adolescents and Adults * Males and females age 14 – 18: 75 mcg/day * Males and females age 19 and older: 90 mcg/day If you take Warfarin (a blood thinner), one should know that vitamin K or foods containing vitamin K can affect how the drug works. To get more information one should ask their health care provider how much vitamin K or vitamin K-containing foods they should consume. Bibliography Hamrick I, Counts SH. Vitamin and mineral supplements. Wellness and Prevention. December 2008; 729-747. Rolfes, Sharon and Ellie Whitney Understanding Nutrition 11th Ed Belmont CA 2008 http://www. kosmix. com/topic/vitamin_k/overview/adam20#ixzz1KfWhlT00 http://www. osteoporosis-vitamins. com/vitamin-K-toxicity. html How to cite Vitamin K, Papers

France Tourism Management Assignment Sample

Question - Write about the top tourism destinations in France? Contents Introduction. Analysis. France destinations. Eiffel Tower. Chamonix. Saint Tropez. Tourism marketing mix. Product. Price. Place. People. Planning. Programming. Physical evidence. Promotion. Conclusion. References. Introduction There was a time when tourist management was not considered as an important activity. In the current time, tourism management is an important function for both public and private players. In this era of globalization, government has realized that tourism destination could be a major source of income for states. With globalization, there has been an exponential growth in the number of international tourists (Agrawala, 2007). Therefore, there is a need for tourism management. Moreover, there has been a fundamental shift in the way tourism has been perceived. Tourism has changed its way from unorganized sector to organized sector. Today, people would visit different places with a plan and schedule. In the current time, tourism is also closely linked with destination management companies. ADestination Management Company (DMC)is a term for aprofessional servicescompany possessing extensive local knowledge, expertise and resources, specializing in the design and implementation of events, a ctivities, tours, transportation and program logistics. It can be said that these companies enable to develop and establish tourism as an organized sector. Europe has been an important tourist destination for people around the world. Famous for its wines and cheeses, France is the worlds most popular tourist destination receiving 82 million foreign tourists annual. It is important that all the destinations in France should have a tourism plan that would attract the visitors around the world. France is known for its beautiful sites. In fact 37 sites of France are listed in World Heritage Sites. Tourism industry is an important and established industry in France (Petiot, 2009). Every year, government of France would earn a good amount of income from Tourism. Therefore, it is important that tourism should be treated as important and organized sector in France. The objective of this paper is to study and analyze the top tourism destinations in France with respect to tourism management. The objective of this paper is to develop the marketing plan for top destination in France that would enable government to earn more revenue and that would a lso help Destination Management Companies to create new avenues of employment. Analysis A tourism marketing plan outlines the advertising and overall marketing approach that will be used to promote any destination. It is correct that the tourism marketing plan can differ for different places. For example, tourism marketing plan for Cathedrals in France would be different then the marketing plan for Eiffel tower in Paris. Therefore, it is important for people to understand that any marketing plan shall act only as a guideline to manage destination and to add more tourists. Marketing plans create a customized action statement that the entire tourism board can follow and use to measure the effectiveness of each campaign involved in the effort. France has number of destinations that are being appreciated by tourists. It is important that all the destinations should focus on key marketing activities such as promotions, campaigns and advertisements (Ceron, 2006). This paper would focus on the tourism marketing plan of top three destinations of France. These destinations can be discussed as: France destinations The top three tourism destinations in France can be discussed as: Eiffel Tower This destination is certainly one of the most appreciated tourism destination in France. Eiffel tower is the symbol of Paris. It was built by Gustave Eiffel as the entrance arch for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889. Since its construction more than 200,000,000 people have visited the Eiffel Tower making it the most visited paid tourist attraction in the world. This destination has the ability to keep tourists mesmerized. This destination has helped to improve the ranking of France as tourist destination in the world (Marsat, 2007, pp 406). It is expected that France would continue to be a known tourist destination in France and entire world. Chamonix Chamonix is considered to be one of the best places in the world for its natural beauty. Chamonix is a very famous ski resort in the French Alps. This is situated in the foot of Mount Blanc. In fact, the first winter Olympics of 1924 was held at Chamonix also. Since then, Chamonix has emerged as a favorite tourism destination in France. This tourism destination is particularly liked by people who want to be close to nature and who like natural beauty. The now covered Alps looks fabulous from Chamonix and visitors always appreciate the snow covered peaks and natural beauty of Chamonix. Saint Tropez It is only a small village located 65 miles east of Marseille. This village is known for its breathtaking views and awesome natural landscapes. Tourists have particularly liked to enjoy the summers at Saint Tropez. This is the place where tourists like to relax. This village has number of avenues for local sightseeing (Frangouli, 2005). The village also has a world known seaside resort. Lot of artists and musicians also perform at Saint Tropez. This place is always appreciated by artists who known in true sense the ways to appreciate the beauty. It is expected that this place would continue to have an importance in the tourism strategy of France. Typically any marketing plan would be based on the marketing mix. Likewise the tourism marketing plan is also based on certain marketing mix elements (Peeters, 2005). The tourism marketing mix for tourism sector in France can be discussed as: Tourism marketing mix The marketing plan for any product would have 4 elements of marketing mix. However, the marketing tourism can be associated with 8 elements of marketing mix. These elements are often referred as 8 Ps of tourism marketing. These 8 elements can be discussed as: Product Generally, tourism industry can be defined as a service sector industry. However, it is important to realize that tourism industry is both a product company and a service company. It is important for destination management companies to focus on the product attributes (Peypoch, 2006). Typically the products attributes that should be focused as part of tourism management would include quality of hotels, transportation facilities, shopping facilities etc. With respect to Product, it can be said that the tourism in France has been able to reach a stage where the Product can be defined as good. For example, Paris has some of the best hotels and resorts in the world. France is also connected through different parts of Europe. International tourists can also get flight to Paris and other important cities of France. Price It can be said that price is one of the most important elements of the tourism marketing mix. People all across the world may want to visit the foreign destination but the cost can be a major constraint. It is important that France should realize that it has to keep the prices competitive. People should not leave France as a tourism destination because of high cost and at the same time the level facilities should not be compromised. Therefore it is important that the country should offer different options. There should be hotels, resorts and lodges that should suite the requirements of every section of the society. For example, a family in India may choose some Asian destination over France due to price issues. Therefore destination management companies in France should keep the price right and affordable. Place In tourism industry, Place refer to the location where people can collect the services. It is correct that tourism industry offers a lot of services to customers. Therefore, it is important that these services can be collected easily and at the convenience of customers. This era is marked with computer and technology. It is important that the destination management organizations should have a facility where in people can buy the services at a single click. The tickets to tourism destinations, the entry tickets etc. should be made available online. For example, a family seating in Sydney should be able to book a hotel room in France and should be able to make reservation in any restaurant. With online channel, there should be a provision of offline places also. It would help the people who lack the access to Internet. People It can be said that people is one of the most important marketing elements of tourism marketing mix. In fact, the success and failure of tourism plan for any destination would depend on people availability. People acts as the bridge between the end customers and the offerings of tourism management plan. Therefore it is important for destination management organizations to hire and recruit the right set of people. For example, people would include the staff members of different private and public tourism agencies. People would include the wait staff in hotels and it would also include the managers of hotel. People would also include the tourists guide and shop owners. It is important that the People should work to ensure that the expectations of tourists should be met. One of the objectives of tourism management plan is to ensure that the gap between the tourist expectations and the people perception of tourists expectations can be bridged. Planning The key service component of the tourism experience is planning.It requires a great deal of planning for destination management organization to ensure that the trip on national and international tourist can be a wonderful experience. Planning is one such thing that is required to ensure that there are minimum surprises in the trip. Planning would also ensure that the trip to France or any other destination could be completed as planned. It would ensure that the trip does not exceed the planned budget and time. Programming Programming is one such element of marketing mix that would differ for different destinations. Programming refers to the way localized or customized experience would be provided to customers. Programming also refers to the way events are planned and executed by different companies. Programming with respect to the tourism management of top 3 destination of France can be discussed as: The destination management companies at Eiffel tower may program their events to provide a romantic experience to tourists. The destination management companies at Chamonix may program to provide a wild experience to tourists by creating tents and camps in the snow. The destination management companies at Saint Tropez may focus to create leisure and relaxing package for its tourists. The above examples would reflect that programming would also depend on the type and nature of destinations. Therefore it is important that destination management organizations should realize that programming should not be used in a generic way and it should be based o the localized things. Physical evidence The provision of physical evidence that the customer experienced the particular tourism product can help sales.The physical evidence would help tourists to remain connected with the destination for a long time. The physical evidence would include the small things like destination magnates, a small memento etc. Tourists can buy these themselves or destination marketers can also provide it free for customers. For example, people (tourists) have the tendency to buy the memento of Eiffel tower from Paris. It helps tourists to remain connected with the beautiful city of Paris for a longer time. Promotion Promotion would help destination management companies and tourists organizations to remain connected with customers. Promotion is an important element of tourism marketing mix because the competition has been high in this industry segment. It is important for travel and tour agencies to realize the competition and then develop the promotional strategies. Again, the promotional strategies would also differ for different destination. It would be correct to say that the promotional strategies for Paris should be focused on families and couples and the promotional strategies of Chamonix could also be based on individual travelers who like to enjoy the nature. Some of the marketing campaigns that should be used by destination management organization and tourists agencies in France to increase the footfall of tourists can be discussed as: French government should start a campaign to increase the awareness among all the European nations. The government has good relationship with different European nations and it is important that campaign should be launched that would target the individuals from these nations. A large set of customers could be targeted from European nations only. The government should also support private players in their tourism campaign. It is important that the private players in the industry should develop social media campaigns. It is important to realize that tourists have great presence in the social media domain. The platforms like Facebook and Twitter should be leveraged in order to ensure that destination management organizations can reach out to customers (Abegg, 2011). It would be correct to say that it is always difficult to manage the tourism campaigns as it involves lot of visitors, customers and internal and external management. One of the important ways to manage the campaign would to focus on advertisement. It is recommended that social media advertisements and advertisements on other platforms should be an important part of the campaign strategy. Conclusion The above paper discussed the tourism management plan for France. The above paper described the basis of tourism management plan. It is important that all the stakeholders should join hands in order to ensure that France remains as the top tourism destination in Europe. It is also recommended that the destination management organizations in France should also join hands with other countries in Europe. This tourism strategy would help because international tourists would want to visit different parts of Europe and not just France. For example, France can have joint tourism plan along with Italy or Germany. The objective of tourism management plan for France is to ensure that tourists remain informed about the tourism offerings of France. It is important that government should play a key role to devise the offerings. All the approvals are made by the government. Therefore government must support the private agencies and destination management organizations. It is expected that France would continue to remain as the top rated destinations. The pricing element of the tourism strategy of France would further help the tourism industry of France to increase the number of annual tourists. France, as a destination is easily affordable by people of developed countries but people of countries like India and China face difficulty due to financial constraints. One of the aspects of tourism management policy would be to focus on the pricing of different products that are associated with the tourism industry. It would include flight tickets, hotel expenses etc. References Abegg, B., Agrawala, S., Crick, F., Montfalcon, A. D. (2011). Climate change impacts and adaptation in winter tourism. Agrawala, S. (2007).Climate change in the European Alps: adapting winter tourism and natural hazards management. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Botti, L., Peypoch, N., Randriamboarison, R., Solonandrasana, B. (2006). An econometric model of tourism demand in France. Cawley, M., Marsat, J. B., Gillmor, D. A. (2007). Promoting integrated rural tourism: comparative perspectives on institutional networking in France and Ireland.Tourism Geographies,9(4), 405-420. Dubois, G., Ceron, J. P. (2006). Tourism/leisure greenhouse gas emissions forecasts for 2050: Factors for change in France.Journal of Sustainable Tourism,14(2), 172-191. Endo, K. (2006). Foreign direct investment in tourismflows and volumes.Tourism Management,27(4), 600-614. Gssling, S., Peeters, P., Ceron, J. P., Dubois, G., Patterson, T., Richardson, R. B. (2005). The eco-efficiency of tourism.Ecological economics,54(4), 417-434. Hall, C. M. (2013).Wine, food, and tourism marketing. Routledge. Masson, S., Petiot, R. (2009). Can the high speed rail reinforce tourism attractiveness? The case of the high speed rail between Perpignan (France) and Barcelona (Spain).Technovation,29(9), 611-617. OLeary, S., Deegan, J. (2005). Irelands image as a tourism destination in France: Attribute importance and performance.Journal of travel research,43(3), 247-256. Patsouratis*, V., Frangouli, Z., Anastasopoulos, G. (2005). Competition in tourism among the Mediterranean countries.Applied Economics,37(16), 1865-1870.