Last week a satellite was launched into space to look for signs of life on other planets. I am always very interested in news like this. I like when we look beyond the stars and give mankind something else to focus on besides the day to day troubles we bring to ourselves. It is fascinating with how some people can be so grand in their thinking.
Taking a step away from the usual things I write about, I just wonder what you think about life out there. Myself, when younger, I used to believe most UFOs were spaceships coming to visit earth, I just accepted it as a fact since so many people said they saw or had contact, I was angry with the government for always covering it up and could not see why they just could not admit it. I loved watching programs and reading books about this subject, one day however I read the book 'Communion' by Whitley Strieber and after that I no longer believe it possible. There are just too many factors preventing visitations to be true. Now regarding government cover-ups I feel they have to do with weapons testing that went wrong and became exposed to the public. As for life on other planets, that is possible but I don't think of life out there in terms of little green creatures running around in futuristic cities and driving space-ships. If there is actual life on another planet, it will probably be wiggly things swimming around in some sort of ocean.
The satellite will not be able to pick up life, only signs that a planet could contain life and even then, a planet could show positive signs but there still be nothing there. It would be interesting however, to find a planet in the future with at least types of animals and plants on it. Would they resemble in some way life here or would they be something that our minds could never dream up. That will not happen in our life time and when a person starts to understand the distances in space, even if we sent probes today, by the time they begin to reach other planets, mankind will probably no longer exist. I watched an interesting interview with a panel of scientists who work in this field. They said another factor keeping us from finding other advanced life is not only the vast distance but also the vast amount of time, meaning there is probably not any other life as advanced as we are this moment in time, however that there could have been before us and there will probably be after us. They said probably every so many million years an intelligent civilization pops up and sends out messages into space to see if anyone else is out there. No message is returned because either the green guys are long dead or are a long way off from coming into existence, interesting thought. I also wonder if that is true, why do we think there is a higher life form out there or that there used to be a higher life form, my thinking is someone has to be first so why not us, what if we are the first (so called) intelligent life.
When I come back down to earth and see how most people live in this world with wars, oppression, fundamental views etc, I could understand why another life form would feel we are not ready to meet. I honestly don't think there is anyone else around except our little mixed up selves. I think people have to also get over that thought of another life form coming to earth to rescue us from our troubles, we have to do it. Can you imagine if it was the other way around, if humans landed on another planet with simple towns and villages. I think the second thing we would say right after "we come in peace" would be "so do you guys have any black oily stuff bubbling out of the ground anywhere?"
As readers I am interested in what you think, don't let my views affect your answer. Do you believe we have been visited, do you think there is life out there, life as in with cities or just swimming around in goo, do you think there is only us on earth and every other planet is just big rocks floating in space. Maybe you could care less and never think about it at all so don't worry all comments will be respected no matter what you believe.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
13 comments:
I have no idea. There might be life elsewhere, or maybe not. As far as other life-forms visiting us here, well, I doubt it. But is sure makes for some good stories.
It is the height of hubris to believe that we are the only intelligent life in this incredible universe. I don't believe we have been visited, for the simple reason that no government agency could possibly keep that news secret. This is the same government that bought $700 hammers, remember, and that news came out as quickly as it was learned.
The probe is looking for signs of liquid water, for that is the one common requirement for life as we know it. Jupiter's moon Europa is the best candidate for more life in our solar system, as there is liquid water underneath the layer of ice that covers the planet. It will take sophisticated equipment to get to that water, however.
It is only recently that we've been able to develop an instrument capable of detecting from great distances the narrow band of light reflected by water. We have to look from space because of the interference (visible light, radio waves, and pollution) from our surface. But I think that we will in fact find life on other planets. I don't think that we will be able to have physical contact, however, due to the limitations of time, distance and human vulnerability.
Like Java, I have really no idea. I do think about it, but only in a Sci-Fi sort of way.
If life sprung up on our little planet, why not elsewhere?
I think there is life out there, but we may not find it in our lifetime.
Birdie sez: "I don't think that we will be able to have physical contact, however, due to the limitations of time, distance and human vulnerability."
I think the other reason we won't have actual contact is that, if they truly are intelligent life, they're probably screening their calls.
But I wouldn't be a bit surprised to know they're out there!
Meep meep!
I think that life is scattered throughout the universe with abundance. And while I would put intelligent life as being out there, I am not so sure if we are living next door to any. Even if we took Earth as a standard, intelligent life is extremely rare. From the moment Q introduced Captain Picard to that little pond of goo until now, How much time has an intelligent species (in our terms of thinking) has existed on the planet? If intelligent life turns out to be a 1:4,500,000,000 crapshoot, then we might have a ways to go to find someone to talk to.
"I don't know Sparks, but I guess I'd say, if it is just us, it seems like an awful waste of space. "
Some people think it's scary to think there is other intelligent life out there. I have always believed that it would be much scarier to know that we are completely alone and the only life in all of the universe.
I think there is life out there, probably including intelligent life, but like Birdie I think the vastness of the distances between us will prevent us from ever having contact beyond the occasional exchanged satellite. I hadn't thought before of your idea, that chances are good any contact we receive will come from a civilization that is probably gone now. I love sci-fi stories that suggest ancient civilizations here were visited by 'gods' ie extraterrestrials, but I don't think any such thing actually happened.
Statistically, I think it's impossible that there ISN'T life out there, probably in a lot of places out there. It may well be totally different life than we know, and in fact it probably is. There are just too many solar systems in too many galaxies and way too many planets whose conditions must be capable of generating and supporting life.
Happy St. Paddy's Day!
I don't know if we've been visited, but I do think there's other life out there. When you start to look at the little bit of the universe we can see and try to grasp the vastness of it, how can we think we're the only ones. Take a look at this page (and be sure to go all the way to the bottom): http://naurunappula.com/z/353424
It's amazing stuff!
BTW, give that URL (in my prior comment) a moment or two to load. It's odd how it loads, but sometimes it looks like a dead-end page and then jump to the right one. The right one should have lots of photos of planets and stars with size comparisons.
There is life out there. But it does not take on the human form; alien form perhaps. ;-) But plenty of plant life and maybe bacteria life.
Post a Comment