S.e.t.i.

[habilis]

I'm a firm believer in the existance of extra terrestrial intelliegent life. I also think it's relatively abundant out there. So the SETI(Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) project has been somewhat of a let down for me because we haven't picked up even one solid extra terrestrial signal since the projects inception.

The only thing I can come up with is that our listening devices(Radio Telescopes the size of a stadium) arent sensitive enough to hear, or their transmitters simply aren't powerful enough to reach us. Yet. These guys better speak up already, I don't have a thousand light years to spare. ::alien:: ::alien:: ::alien:: ::alien:: ::alien::

Anyway that's something I'll always be waiting for. If that day ever comes, and I really hope it does, Sagan will finally be vindicated.

 

[OmegaMan]

True....we're using Radio Telescopes....and they're using a sub-space transmitters! :->

 

[anerki]

Our sun is one of the second generation and a fairly old one already. So this means that we are probably one of the earliest civilizations to have begun. All 1st gen sun/solar systems have collapsed. So nobody would've survived that. I'm pretty sure there are thousands more intelligent life forms, I just refuse to believe that we're the backwoods undeveloped one.

Grtz,
.anerki

PS: Habilis, a light year is a distance not a measure of time Like a parsec, it's not a second, it's an incredible distance

 

[habilis]

yikes I came across as not knowing what a light year was?? **sigh**. Yeah a light second is something like 186,000 miles so a light year won't even fit on my freeking calculator.

 

[chemistry_geek]

Originally posted by habilis
So the SETI(Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) project has been somewhat of a let down for me because we haven't picked up even one solid extra terrestrial signal since the projects inception.

Incorrect. Google for the "Wow Signal". Unfortunately, the signal was never repeated and since cannot be ruled out as artifact, but the testing done on the signal at the time indicated that the source did not appear to be local.

I personally think that except for a few extraterrestrial microbes that might be lurking around the solar system, we are definitely alone in our local universe (as far as we can see (and hear with radio) telescopes).

 

[habilis]

Yeah I know about the wow signal, but I remain highly skeptical about it, I mean why was it never heard again?

We may be alone in our local star field, but there is other intelligent life our galaxy, maybe not up to the technology age yet so they aren't transmitting - they might be millions of evolutionary years away from that. It might only be 1 other planet besides our own in the Milky Way but if you figure 1 or maybe 2 civilizations manage to cultivate in every galaxy out there in the universe, that's in the millions, if not billions.

One of the main problems is that our radio transmissions aren't powerful enough to travel the 50,000 light years or so to reach our galactic "next door" neighboors. Our galaxy alone is close to 100,000 light years across and contains 300 BILLION other stars.

And the other funny thing about radio transmissions is that even if we had a transmitter powerful enough to reach across the Milky way and reach another civilization with a listening device powerful enough to hear us, it would take the signal about 50,000 years - give or take 10,000 years - to get there. Then if they were saavy enough to be able to translate and interpret the signal as to where we are, and wanted to answer back, it would take their message another 50,000 years to get to us.

They're out there, plenty of 'em, but communication and contact with them is a total paradox.

 

[ebolag4]

Until we can figure out how to build a solar lens, I don't think we'll ever be able to get any kind of high-resolution returns for either signals or images. That still would not solve the time/distance problems mentioned above, but it would sure be nice to have around.

I, for one, don't think there is anything else intelligent out there. But that's my 2 cents. You know what that's worth. (Not even 2 cents most places!)

 

[senne]

there's of course life, but not more intellegent than us, i think.

 

[habilis]

Here's the hard numbers:

In the known observable universe the Hubble has projected 500 billion galaxies; Each galaxy contains anywhere from 50 to 500 billion stars; Perhaps as many as 40% of these stars have planets orbiting them and each planet has moons orbiting it(Jupiter for example has multiple moons). So the conservative estimate for chances for intelligent life to develop looks like this:

500 billion galaxies multiplied by 225 billion average stars per galaxy multiplied by 2 average orbital planets multiplied by 2 average orbital moons = your chances for intelliegent life to cultivate.

here's the numbers:

500,000,000,000 X
225,000,000,000
= 45,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

45,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 X
2
= 90,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

90,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 X
2
= 180,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 possible candidates

Given, most of these planets are not able to bear life because conditions are too extreme in one way or another but the number left over is still pretty big. To think that we are the ONLY intelliegent life out of that HUGE number seems to fly in the face of all logic.

 

[chemistry_geek]

The only part of your argument that I don't like is the "...multiplied by 2 average orbital planets multiplied by 2 average orbital moons = your chances for intelliegent life to cultivate".

Our solar system follows an "order" if you will, where the closer planets are essentally rocks, the middle planets are rocks with water and gases, the outer planets consisting mostly of gases, and the really distant objects/planets consistent of more rocks (pluto, Ort Cloud objects). One of the requirements for life is water in liquid form. The chances of an average solar system meeting that requirement I think is rather low. To date many extrasolar planets are found from the wobbling star technique, and the planets found are indeed very large, larger than Jupiter and about as close to the star as Mercury or Venus is to our Sun. That distance is too close to allow for liquid water and a stable atmosphere capable of fostering and sustaining life as we know it.

 

[anerki]

Life other than humans? Of course! And this is how the world was created!

http://www.flooble.com/fun/genesis.php?page=1

 

[habilis]

chemistry: yeah you're right about the very low percentage of life-bearing planets like our own. They're extremely rare. Let's say, to be even more conservatice about it, only 0.01% of the planets are earth-like. 0.01% of 180+23 is still an absolutely massive number well over 180 billion strong.