Aliens

[Ken L]

Well, this is fun and there are obviously very few sceptics out there.

For the record, my answers to my questions would be:

 

"Do you think that aliens exist ?"

Withoubt doubt.

 

"If so, why ? and if not, why not ?"

As has been suggested, it's a simple numbers game. To blatently plagerise the "Drake equation", there are an estimated 200 billion stars in our Galaxy. If only 1% of those stars are reasonably stable and not part of a binary system and of those stable stars, only 1% have planets and of those systems with planets, only 1% have a rocky planet within the zone where liquid water can exist and of those rocky planets in the habitable zone, only 1% actually evolve life, then you are still looking at 20,000 worlds with life in our galaxy. Some of that life may never get beyond the single cell but I suspect that once sexual reprodution gets going, intelegence and technology are inevitable.

Oh yes, Even if life is unique in this galaxy, there are billions of galavy's out there.

 

"Do you think aliens have ever visited the Earth ?"

That's a tricky one. If all our ideas about the physical universe are correct, it's pretty inlikely that anyone could get here. The distances are just huge and for all practical purposes impossible to overcome. As Douglas Adams put it "Space is big. Really big! If you think it's a long way to the chemists, that's nothing compared to space."

Then again, It may be that the problems of time and space can be circumvented and if so, we could be getting buzzed by wee green fellas on a daily basis - this would certany help to explain some of the realy strange things that I've seen in the sky.

One thing to bear in mind when asking yourself whether another civilization could be advanced enough to address the technical problems of getting here is that the Earth took a big hit 65m years ago that knocked life back an itsey bit. A civilisation from a world without such an event in it;s history could be MUCH more advanced than us - afterall, only 100 years ago, electricity was a novelty even in the most advanced countries on this planet.

 

"If a dirty great alien ship were discovered to be settleing into orbit tomorrow, would this be a good thing or a bad thing ? - and why ?"

BAD. In the whole history of the Earth, there isn't a single example of a technologically inferior culture comming into contact with an advanced one where the technologically inferior culture hasn't either suffered significantly or become entirely extinct.

The only positive thing is that all such contacts on Earth have been inspired by available resourses and if a civilisation could get here through space, there would be no reason for them to come here to take our stuff. Space is big and contains plenty of stuff so maybe the dymamic of the meeting would be different - unless of course they want comforable living space. That is definatly in limited suply, it's also our own main reason for wanting to explore space.

 

[ 27. November 2004, 01:55 PM: Message edited by: Ken L ]

[Andy Macfarlane]

Did anyone watch the programme on Cephalopods the other night?

Squid etc. are definitely from another planet. I've seen a few different shows on these things before but they never cease to amaze me. I don't care if Aliens exist or not. There's far more interesting stuff happening in reality, right on our shores.

[Little Tinca]

I read explanations which try to convey just how big space really is. To make sense of worldly things a human being must always be able to imagine or see a finite point in something. Space is so big that it is an inconceivable concept for the human brain to perceive.

I think that is what made Marvin's diodes hurt all down his left side.

Fully beleiving that the answer is 42 I have a finite point to hang on to.

[*Ant*]

Just to follow on from Ken's post.

If you take into account that the Earth and our solar system is relatively young, infact just a baby, in terms of the age of the galaxy. Life could have formed on a distant planet thousands, millions and quite possibly billions of years before life evolved here. Taking into account the advances in technology we have seen over just the last 50 years what can we expect to be able to do in say another 50, 100 or 1000 years. If we are still around on this planet in 1000 years it is only logical to sumarise that we will be out in deep space looking for or even studying other entities.

[kirkby john]

Interesting thread, speaking as a few posters have of a " numbers game " I read somewhere a definition of infinity and infinite.

If you sat an infinite number of chimps at an infinite number of typewriters one of them would produce the entire works of Shakespear.

The same must hold true for planets one of them must hold intellegent advanced life. Distance, and therefore time being the obstacle to contact.

Time travel must be the answer.

[MickJ]

quote:

---

Posted by Little Tinca:

Mick .... the immminent arrival of who?? ..... unless it's her on the other estate.

---

If I knew that I would be ahead of the game and then there would be no mystery....

 

You're the one with the 'all seeing' eye on the planets.

 

[ 30. November 2004, 10:07 AM: Message edited by: MickJ ]

[Little Tinca]

Clouds, clouds and more clouds the life of poor amateur astronomer is difficult and cold. :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Ken L]

The numbers game works both ways.

Space is infinate.

The number of planets with life is undeniably finite.

Any finite number divided by infinity is as close to zeros as to make no difference.

Therefore, statistically, we do not exist.

 

Yep, it's that nice Mr Adams again.

[Dan]

Ken L:

The numbers game works both ways.

Space is infinate.

The number of planets with life is undeniably finite.

Any finite number divided by infinity is as close to zeros as to make no difference.

Therefore, statistically, we do not exist.

 

Yep, it's that nice Mr Adams again.

Yeah but he was wrong, if space is infinite then the number of planets with life must be infinite too, just a bit less infinite!!?? :confused: I'm going to bed!

 

Just a thought but one of the problems is that because infinity it a tad on the large side looking at it through an optical or radio telescope can mean we are looking at images thousands or millions of years old, so we are looking at last weeks papers for todays news! Also because the universe had been around for a while but we have really only been seriously looking out of the window for the last 50-70 years the chances of matching an inteligent life form at the same time is nearly zero. So my guess is yes there's life out there but were unlikely to meet it! Anyway if they catch all the cr*p TV we beam out of this planet they're bound to give us a wide birth!

 

Dan

[chesters1]

saw something one night walking home from my then girlfriends house ,very dark night and a magnificent panorama of stars ,loking up i saw what i thought was a satellite slowly traversing across the sky (theres plenty to be seen if you look hard enough) suddenly it stopped ,so did i as satellites dont :confused: .

still watching closely so as not to lose this strange thing amoungst the background of stars i saw another point of light suddenly appear almost next to the first they closed together then suddenly one "took off" at an incredible speed leaving a "blur" following behind it ,the other one then carried on slowly crossing the sky

nothing man made could move that fast ,it wasent a plane or helicopter ,so it wasent man made ,it was alien certainly to the earth and i dont mean a meteor