I’m a person who’s always been fascinated with the cosmos and the fact that, when we look into the heavens at night (even with the naked eye), we are glimpsing into the past. We can never know how things really are out there, only how they were. And as astronomers manage to probe deeper and deeper with ever-advancing technology, the farther into the past we can see.
Science estimates the known universe to be close to 14 billion years old. Based on proper observation and our knowledge of the speed of light, it’s probably accurate. Which leads to the question that the renowned physicist Enrico Fermi is reputed to have blurted out during a conversation with a group of colleagues in the early 1950’s: "Where is everybody?"
I could fill pages with the reasoning behind the question, but here it is in a nutshell: “The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, such as in the Drake equation, and the lack of evidence for such civilizations, that even with the "slow" space travel technology within the reach of us earthlings, the galaxy could have (should have?) easily been colonized within 5 to 50 million years. And considering the fact that our sun is a second-generation star, thus making us the “new new kids on the block,” these 5 to 50 million years of galactic colonization should have occurred long-long ago. But obviously it didn’t happen.
In the past decade, the search for exoplanets has come into its own. As of August 1, 2018, three thousand eight hundred and fifteen planets have been discovered outside of our solar system. A handful are ‘earth sized’ and within the so-called habitable zone, but always lacking some of the other essentials believed to be necessary for anything beyond microbial life, if even that. In fact, most of the planets have been found to run the gamut of extremely bizarre circumstances never thought possible. It now appears as though what science has assumed to be atypical, inexplicable, and seemingly impossible for planetary existence (much less life) is the norm throughout the galaxy. As a result, there are a few brave and often ridiculed souls in the scientific community who are willing to acknowledge the obvious when comparing solar systems: a growing recognition of the rare earth hypothesis—our solar system is the one that appears to be unusually stable, remarkable, and rare. Perhaps even one of a kind.
Mike
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Topic: The Fermi Paradox: Where is everybody? (Read 10501 times)