2 I The Behrend Beacon Earth-like planet discovered nearly next door Scientists in the European Space Agency have discovered a planet similar to Earth orbiting a star a mere 20 light-years away. The planet 581 c, usually just called "c" by scientists in dis cussion, orbits the star Gliese 581, a small red dwarf that is among the 100 closest stars to the Sun. The planet's orbit is so close to the star that its year only lasts 13 days, but the combination of Gliese 581's low solar output and its charac teristics as a red dwarf mean that 581 c likely has an average temperture of 32 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. In other words, it is very likely that the planet has liquid water and a mild atmosphere, two requirements for life. The discovery has in part solved the "Goldilocks" problem that has plagued astronomers for the few short years that the search of extra-solar planets has taken place. Most planets discovered have, in terms of temperature, been either too hot OT too cold. 581 c, on the other hand, is "just right." "Liquid water is critical to life as we know it," Grenoble University of France faculty member and report co-author Xavier Delfosse said in a statement. "Because of its tempera ture and relative proximity, this planet will most probably be a very important target of the future space missions dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial life. On the treasure map of the Universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X." The planet is somewhat larger than Earth, with a mass roughly 5 times larger and a calculated surface gravity about 1.5-1.6 times greater than Earth standard. The gravity would be uncomfortable but livable for a human. A 150 pound man on Earth would weigh 225 pounds on 581 c. "This could be very important," said NASA astrobiologist Students stress about the approach of finals week Each and every year, hundreds of thousands of college students dream of their summer vacation. As the spring semester ends, plans for summer begin. However, there is only one thing that stands between a student and their perfect summer: finals. As the semester here at Penn State Behrend comes to an end, students are preparing for finals. Preparing for finals can be very stressful for some students. According to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) journal, each year thou- sands of students nation- wide become clinically overwhelming at times. "There are depressed due to finals. times where I feel like I didn't learn From late night cram ses- anything, and I just freak out," said sions and excess amounts Stecura. In order to cope with the stress of caffeine, to lack of sleep of finals, Stecura said she usually finds and over exhaustion, finals herself shopping or sleeping. "A nice week in general takes a toll nap always works for me," said on a student's body. Stecura. Roger Lafferty, a senior Like many students, Stecura said her Communication major, studying habits usually depend on the says finals week is always type of class she is studying for. "If it's a stressful time for him. a history class, I reread notes; algebra, Not only does Lafferty I work on problems, political science I have a full course load, he Mike Sharkey/THE BEHREND BEACON usually reread the text," she said. also works two part-time However, one thing that Stecura jobs. "Finding time to study As finals week approaches, Behrend students are hitting the books and study in the Lilley learned from her first semester is that can be a problem some- Library more often. when it comes to studying for finals times," said Lafferty. "I you need to start as soon as possible. usually have to take time off work in order to get some studying accom- "Don't wait until the last minute" said Stecura, "You'll regret it." plished. - Lafferty, like most college students, takes a simple but exclusive approach when it comes to studying for finals. He said, "I typically spend my nights studying in solitary confinement by myself." Lafferty's study tac tics consist of reading the book and going over notes, a typical approach for students. However, with all the stress finals week causes, many students have found By Jeff Barber contributing writer r rij \27 Chris McKay. "It doesn't mean there is life, but it means it's an Earth-like planet in terms of potential habitability." The star itself is so dim that it cannot be seen without a tel escope. The planet was first detected by a sensitive instru ment called the High Accuracy Radial Velocity for Planetary Searcher, which measures the "wobble" in light emitted by stars as it passes by a nearby planetary mass. After the first detection, other methods were used to determine its distance from Gliese 581 and its approximate mass, from which the likely range of temperatures was deduced. Many things, about the planet are still unknown, such as details about its atmos phere, whether it has any axial spin or tilt and how much, and whether it is comprised of rock or a mixture of rock and ice. "You need more work to say it's got water or it doesn't have water," said Steve Maran, press officer for the American Astronomical Society. "You wouldn't send a crew there assuming that when you get there, they'll have enough water to get back." Many scientists are excited that a planet so similar to Earth was found so close to our own solar system. "It's a significant step on the way to finding possible life in the universe," said University of Geneva astronomer Michel Mayor, a European scientist on the team that found the new planet. "It's a nice discovery. We still have a lot of questions." This illustration simulates the newly found planet orbiting red dwarf Astronomers had discovered 220 planets outside of our solar star Gliese 581 system before 581 c. Before now, the search for Earth-like planets has been focused on yellow stars similar to our own sun. This practice may change since 581 c was found orbiting a red dwarf. that relaxing is just as important as Studying. 12$10Mittid he makes sure he does not overload himself - With too" itiuditstudying. "I try to have a lot of alone time, take breaks, and just relax," he said. aillkorty also said that exer- cise has been a good way for him to find relief from all the stresses of finals. Lafferty also gave some advice to freshman students who may not be accus tomed to dealing with finals. "Don't take anything lightly. Just because it's your first year, don't slack off and mess around. Get things done, study hard and try to get the best possible grade, While finals may be a stressful time in a student's life, it is important to know that if you are feeling stressed while studying, you should take a break, a nice long walk, or head to the mall. Most importantly, find some thing you like to do and step away from the textbooks for an hour or so. In the end you'll find it a lot easier to study and a lot less stressful come finals week. ri ~._,) because it will reflect you later in your life," he said. Although, freshman year is the least demanding of the college years for most students, freshmen can also become stressed out about finals. Alanna Stecura, a freshman political science and history major, stated that the demands of finals week can be SGA offers new constitution continued from page 1 The SGA is The governing body,of the student population at Penn State Behrend. This.nrganization strives to voice opinions on issues within the student body and works to continuously maintain the well-being of the college overall. Beyond all that, SGA contributes to the betterment of the social and intellectual student life. SGA weekly meetings are open to the entire student body and are generally held on Wednesdays at 5:20 p.m. at the Reed Union Building, room 114. Students can become involved in student government by running for the Council or Senator Positions. The Council Presidents also hold reg ular forums to hear about student concerns. To find out more information about the Student Government Association visit www.clubs.psu.edu/bd/sga. Anyone interested in working for The Behrend Beacon fo semester, conthet Christ, - LWoria;....:at,ii e 515005 @psu.edti. Friday, April 27, 2007 CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Source: CNN.com, Yahoo! News the Fall 2007 ~~ R
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