Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site psivax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!sdcrdcf!psivax!friesen From: friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley Friesen) Newsgroups: net.space Subject: Re: Voyager, on to Uranus. Message-ID: <671@psivax.UUCP> Date: Wed, 21-Aug-85 16:17:26 EDT Article-I.D.: psivax.671 Posted: Wed Aug 21 16:17:26 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 25-Aug-85 01:37:38 EDT References: <1792@aecom.UUCP> <1746@bmcg.UUCP> <1049@ames.UUCP> Reply-To: friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley Friesen) Distribution: na Organization: Pacesetter Systems Inc., Sylmar, CA Lines: 27 Summary: In article <464@utastro.UUCP> ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac) writes: > >Actually, something about this puzzles me. Assuming that the space velocity >of AC +79 3888 is only known to within 1 km/sec I get that even we aimed >something at that star we would expect to miss by 13% of a light year. >This is about a trillion kilometers (about 8000 AU). Admittedly there >may be no other use for the manuveuring fuel than aiming at AC +79 3888, >but no one could reasonably expect anyone there to notice it as it goes >by. I'm not much on velocity determinations, but isn't this basically >right? >-- Well, there is another reason why no-one is likely to notice them. If I remember my stellar naming conventions and relative magnitudes correctly, that star is likely to be a *very* dim type 'M' dwarf. A planet would have to be closer to it than Mercury is th the Sun to even have a hope of liquid water, let alone a reasinable atmosphere, so - *no* life at all to notice anything. Sigh, wouldn't Tau Ceti have been better? :-) Well, I guess it *could* be a low end type 'K' - still not much hope for life though. -- Sarima (Stanley Friesen) {trwrb|allegra|cbosgd|hplabs|ihnp4|aero!uscvax!akgua}!sdcrdcf!psivax!friesen or {ttdica|quad1|bellcore|scgvaxd}!psivax!friesen