Star Trek redux, or Are We There Yet?

[AuntShecky]

We've heard on the tv as well as the Internet machine that astronomers have recently found a star of modest size around which seven "Goldilocks" planets are orbiting. Because these new (to us) worlds evidently have the qualities which may support life, their discovery has inspired a solar storm of excitement among those who dream of human space exploration and/or colonization.

The only problem with these sites for future fast food joints and theme parks is that they are 40 light years away, a distance of 235 trillion (with a "t") miles away. So if you plan to go, make sure you visit the restroom first.

But seriously, my fellow Nitletters, I have a question for you: which prospect frightens you more: that we are utterly alone in the universe OR that we're not?

[Dreamwoven]

I agree wth you, Aunt, 40 light years away is very far, but the universe is immense. I think it is too soon to say we are definitely alone in the universe, but even if we are not alone intelligent life we can communicate with is likely to be so far away that for all intents and purposes we are alone... for now.

[OrphanPip]

It's quite far but if we travel at near the speed of light the amount of time it takes for the people travelling shrinks because of dilation, the closer you get to the speed of light the more time for you approaches zero. So if we can develop near light-speed travel these planets would actually be a realistic distance for the people onboard.

[Danik 2016]

I shouldn't wonder if they developed near light-speed travel. This traveling though PCs and other devices which has become part of our daily routine, was unthincable not so many years ago.
About being frightened: it depends so much on who is on the other side of the extension.

[YesNo]

I would be surprised if we were utterly alone in the universe, but I don't know how we would tell that is the case until we checked everywhere in our galaxy and then all the other galaxies out there.

As far as traveling outside the Earth's magnetosphere, that is for robots to do.

[Lokasenna]

I've been fairly sure we're not alone for a long time. The maths alone is a convincing argument for life elsewhere in the Universe. I once went to a fascinting lecture on computational cosmology that did some serious number-crunching based on the size of the universe and probability thresholds. Even on a conservative reckoning, the number of planets in the universe likely to host developed (even civilized) life ran to the billions.

Perhaps the Trappist planets will be among them?

[papayahed]

If I was relying solely on movies for the justification of my answer I would say life on other planets scares the heck out of me. Any day now Aliens will be coming for our carbon!!! If I based my answer on intellect and reasoning I'd say life scares the heck out of me!!!! Any day now aliens will be coming for our carbon. Except if they were Vulcans.

[Dreamwoven]

I've always understood that "life on other planets" should not be assumed to be intelligent, its more likely to be single-cell life. But more usually the so-called Goldylocks zone of planets are in the zone of their star that could (theoretically) be potentially habitable.

[Magnocrat]

As Fermi said 'Where are they all?' Professor Brian Cox thinks its unlikely there is intelligent life in our galaxy.

[mando87]

I don't know how we would tell that is the case until we checked everywhere in our galaxy and then all the other galaxies out there.

[Magnocrat]

I don't know how we would tell that is the case until we checked everywhere in our galaxy and then all the other galaxies out there.

Well we have the Drake equation and the biological evidence that evolution has led to intelligence through a series of low probability occurrances. Biogenesis itself can only be explained in terms of chance as explained in great detail by Richard Dawkins in ' The Blind Watchmaker'.