EXTRATERRESTRIALS

As a little boy, whenever I got upset I would stare at the stars in the sky in hopes of being transported to another world, far away from my hurt and problems. Silly as that may have seemed at the time, humans for generations have often wondered what-if anything exists beyond our blue-green planet and solar system. In 1950, the renowned Italian physicist Enrico Fermi posed a now infamous question, “Somewhere out there in that vast universe, there must surely be countless other planets teeming with life, but why don’t we see any evidence of it?”

The universe contains about a hundred billion galaxies. Each of those galaxies contains a hundred billion stars. A lot of those stars have planets orbiting them. How then do we look for life in all that vastness? For a really long time, conspiracy theorists have claimed that aliens or UFOs as they’re more commonly known among such groups, have visited our planet on several occasions and the truth has been hidden away by the government but to be frank, they haven’t been very convincing. For nine years, NASA’s Kepler observatory or Kepler space telescope explored our galaxy in an attempt to discover earth-size planets orbiting various stars. Hundreds of planets were found around different stars. If only a tiny fraction of those planets possessed conditions that supported life, well, we would be in for a surprise. Scientists understand the impossible feat of searching for life in all that immensity; this is the reason why they have taken the approach of focusing on potential “habitable worlds”. These are planets that have the capability to support life. Locating such planets however, is a bit tricky.

Earth is one planet we are positive supports life so we look inward for clues. Water is a component that is essential for life as we know it as such scientists are often excited whenever they come across a world that contains water. Astrobiologists are scientists who study the possibility of life beyond earth. They are trying to find out if there’s microbial life on mars, in the ocean under the frozen surface of the planet Jupiter’s moon, Europa or in the liquid hydrocarbon lakes that have been found on Saturn’s moon, Titan. Could one of these distant worlds carry the building blocks of life? Or even a living, breathing civilization? In 1977, NASA launched two space probes- voyager 1 and 2 to explore the giant planets in the solar system. Each spacecraft carried a golden phonograph record, sort of like a time capsule, that included clues and messages meant to convey the story of human civilization. Over 100 images and a range of sounds from the natural world like ocean waves, thunder and bird calls were included. Music from different time periods and cultures, greetings in 55 languages and messages from the then president of the United States and the United Nations secretary general were also included. The phonographs could also display the location of our solar system with respect to fourteen different pulsars. This was done to assist potential intelligent extraterrestrial lifeforms or aliens in locating earth, our home. Voyagers 1 and 2 successfully continue their journeys. In 1990, both voyagers passed beyond the orbit of Pluto. In 2012, voyager 1 entered interstellar space and will reach the nearest stellar system in 40,000 years. If either spacecraft is discovered by extraterrestrial life, there’s a possibility that they could decipher the clues and one day reach our planet.

Our earth formed after about 9 billion years after the Big Bang. Countless other planets in our galaxy should have formed earlier. If just a few of them had spawned intelligent life, their civilization would potentially be millions of years ahead of us. Their technological advancements would have had far more time to develop. If you are like me and you wonder why any possible extraterrestrial lifeform out there has not revealed itself, it will interest you to know that there are numerous possible answers and theories for that question. Some people have claimed maybe we are under the rule of a powerful, super intelligent civilization that has taken over the galaxy and imposed strict radio silence. Or they’re not that intelligent and certainly do not have sophisticated technology. Others have theorized that maybe we’re just not looking hard enough.

Do aliens exist? Are there extraterrestrial lifeforms somewhere out there? I’m afraid I can’t provide a definitive answer. Depending on who you ask, you will receive varying responses. The American polar microbiologist, John Priscu said, “You’d be in denial, I think, to believe there isn’t life out there”. While a lot of people hold Priscu’s view, many more are of the opinion that the prospect of aliens is nothing more than a myth that should be reserved for bedtime stories. Humans are inquisitive by nature and I strongly believe that we as a species will continue to carry out research into the vast world that exists around us. Only time will tell whether or not somewhere else out there possesses the privilege our planet, earth has enjoyed for so long- life.