Mo' Planets, Mo' Problems

Nasa’s Kepler spacecraft telescope, on the search for Earth-like planets , recently came across what has been named HD 855 12b. This planet, besides having a horrible name, could have a life sustaining environment.

Orbiting a star, just 35 light years away, average temperatures are said to be 72 degrees. "This is a major milestone on the road to finding Earth's twin” says Douglas Hudgins, a Nasa scientist.

This poses many questions, at least for me. What if there is a planet out there similar to ours? What if, somewhere, there's a sister planet exactly like ours? We've always thought of aliens as little green men with huge heads and big eyes. What if, in fact, they look just like us?

As my mind started to wander, the questions came pouring in. Do they have different races? Different cultures and ethnic backgrounds? If so, could they teach us something about race relations? We obviously still have a lot to learn.

Are they violent? Do they use guns or lasers? Maybe something we haven’t thought of. What is the crime rate like on HD 855 12b?

What about politics? Does it have rich countries and poor countries? I wonder if they have Capitalism, Communism, or some other kind of ism we don't know about. Do they even have countries? Are boundaries something unique to us? Do the counties on HD 855 12b have wars, or is this something only done on Earth? I wonder if they have developed nuclear bombs to annihilate one another.

What about religion? Or religious freedoms? Does it have a Holy Land, and disputes over it? Do they have radical types from different religions that feel it is there calling to make sure everyone on HD 855 12b believes in their God? What about Holocausts, slavery, or genocide? So many questions..

What about dinosaurs, or cave men? The ice age and climate change? Do they have cars? Compact, mid-size, and suv's? The internal combustion engine? Or did they go green long before us? Maybe they could help us settle this environmental issue once and for all. I wonder if they have protests with college students holding up signs reading, Save Mother HD 855 12b! It doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

Then there is entertainment. What do they do for fun? (No, I don't mean that! Hmm interesting though..) Something completely foreign to us? Do they have music or movies? Do they have end of the world movies like we do? Maybe to them we are the little green men coming down in a saucer, wow this is getting exhausting!

I have many questions, most of which will not be answered in my lifetime. I've always thought about other life forms, it seems space is just too big and too vast not to have life somewhere out there. I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking about this. What's out there....anything? Maybe I watched one too many sci fi movies as a kid.