Scientists Say It May Take 1,500 Years Before Aliens Contact Us
- 8 years ago
If aliens do exist, it may take 1,500 or more years before they contact humans, according to new research from Cornell University.
If aliens do exist, it may take 1,500 or more years before they contact humans, according to new research from Cornell University.
A press release issued by the school explains that this figure involves two scientific theories--the Fermi Paradox which points to the likelihood of alien contact based on the vast numbers of other Earth-like bodies and the Mediocrity Principle which argues that the lack of communication is because Earth is not unique.
According to Gizmodo, with these equations in mind, the team determined that as many as 8,531 stars and 3,555 Earth-like bodies--which are all within a range of 80-light years from the sun--have probably been reached by our planet’s broadcast signals.
Given how far apart objects are in space, these estimations resulted in an eventual conclusion that once about half the entities in the Milky Way Galaxy have received these signals--in about 1,500 years--that “Earth might hear from an alien civilization.”
Evan Solomonides, one of the authors is quoted as saying, “Until then, it is possible that we appear to be alone – even if we are not. But if we stop listening or looking, we may miss the signals. So we should keep looking."
The study is scheduled to be presented to the American Astronomical Society on June 16.
If aliens do exist, it may take 1,500 or more years before they contact humans, according to new research from Cornell University.
A press release issued by the school explains that this figure involves two scientific theories--the Fermi Paradox which points to the likelihood of alien contact based on the vast numbers of other Earth-like bodies and the Mediocrity Principle which argues that the lack of communication is because Earth is not unique.
According to Gizmodo, with these equations in mind, the team determined that as many as 8,531 stars and 3,555 Earth-like bodies--which are all within a range of 80-light years from the sun--have probably been reached by our planet’s broadcast signals.
Given how far apart objects are in space, these estimations resulted in an eventual conclusion that once about half the entities in the Milky Way Galaxy have received these signals--in about 1,500 years--that “Earth might hear from an alien civilization.”
Evan Solomonides, one of the authors is quoted as saying, “Until then, it is possible that we appear to be alone – even if we are not. But if we stop listening or looking, we may miss the signals. So we should keep looking."
The study is scheduled to be presented to the American Astronomical Society on June 16.