Why Don't Astronomers See UFO's ?

[Carina Lass]

Ufos don't come from other planets , they come from other dimensions.

Travel time- three seconds

[Cath]

Y'all keep an eye on the woodwork now !

[Johannes]

Hi about ten years ago I was looking up and I saw three red lights in a triangle there was no sound from it . It was not plane because there was no wing lights . I am convinced it was a triangle spaceship and I happened to look up at the right time to see it . After it had gone I had a weird feeling about what I had seen .

[Qualia]

Stranger things can certainly happen. I mean, it's a wonder no was hurt as this Venator Class Star Destroyer flew over the city .

[Thalestris24]

One thing I find fanciful is that nearly all fictional alien spacecraft in movies are modelled on terrestrial aircraft (there are exceptions, I know). Yet, in space, shape has little meaning and there's certainly no need for delta wings, pilots in jet fighter-like cockpits etc. From that point of view I suppose the classic flying saucer shape is actually quite refreshing! I'm very sceptical about visiting aliens - the probability of that happening seems extremely low. The distances between possible worlds are so large and the chances of intelligent life evolving elsewhere and at the same time as us may also be very low.

I wonder if anyone heard the 'bangs' reported at the weekend across the country? I heard some sounds which just sounded like fireworks though it was quite late in the evening. It has been suggested that the noises could be attributed to the testing of a 'pulse detonation' hypersonic aircraft.  Who knows? Next time I'll take the trouble to look out the window!

Louise

[Liquid360]

I see UFO's. I see them everyday. Lucky for everybody else, the voices say they came only to taunt the inhabitants of rural, backwoods communities and the voices NEVER lie!!! NEVER LIE!!!

All hail Banzar, The 12 Eyed Goat!!

[Altitude]

Astronomers are looking at REAL, obviously existent objects in the sky...

[stevepenny]

For me the answer is very simple;

Its reasonable to assume that life on other planets is evolving at around the same rate that we are.  But assuming that there is a very advanced civilisation in the Tau Ceti system; and assuming they have a space vehicle that can achieve a near-light speed (assuming Einstein wasn't wrong) then why on earth (no pun intended) would they want to spend 14 to 15 years in space just to find out if there is life on this planet; particularly when there are a further 4 potentials within Tau Ceti itself. 

It never fails to amuse me that the human race is arrogant enough to believe that an intelligent being on another planet would want to travel 78 Trillion Miles (distance from Tau Ceti) to visit us; particularly if they have been monitoring our TV transmissions and think that Eastenders and Coronation Street are a true reflection of life on earth lol. Lets face it, how many aliens would mess with Tracy Barlow???

[Moonshane]

I think time becomes more or less irrelevant when travelling at light speed? I.e. from our perspective it may take X years to travel X light years but from the point of view of the light speed traveller it will seem like almost no time at all?

[symesie04]

For me the answer is very simple;

Its reasonable to assume that life on other planets is evolving at around the same rate that we are.  But assuming that there is a very advanced civilisation in the Tau Ceti system; and assuming they have a space vehicle that can achieve a near-light speed (assuming Einstein wasn't wrong) then why on earth (no pun intended) would they want to spend 14 to 15 years in space just to find out if there is life on this planet; particularly when there are a further 4 potentials within Tau Ceti itself. 

It never fails to amuse me that the human race is arrogant enough to believe that an intelligent being on another planet would want to travel 78 Trillion Miles (distance from Tau Ceti) to visit us; particularly if they have been monitoring our TV transmissions and think that Eastenders and Coronation Street are a true reflection of life on earth lol. Lets face it, how many aliens would mess with Tracy Barlow???

Well life might evolve at the same rate but life elsewhere may have had a few billion years head start, i think assuming life elsewhere to be on a similar level would be a mistake. Why would they travel to find out if there is life on this planet? well wouldnt we? arent we using the extremes of our technology to find life? and if we had technology to travel at light speed im certain we would be using that to explore further for life.  Its arrogant to think that other life would make a point of seeking out humans in particular, but i dont think its unreasonable to assume that all intelligent life would be driven by the same desire for knowledge and therefore want to find and explore other life. At least thats how i see it.

[Kropster]

So many planets to visit, the chances of anyone coming to ours in the lifetime of our civilisation is very, very small..... IF they could ever get here in the first place.... and with chocolate being in short supply, well, it just isn't going to happen!

[Pakmoto]

I've not witnessed the sighting of a UFO (alien craft) but I've most certainly met a few people that I were sure could have been aliens

But on a serious note I'm so sceptical of anything until I see it with my own eyes, even then I question it and systematically start to tear it apart until I get a logical explanation.

And unless warp technology exists, I can't imagine any life form willing to take on travel of such great distances.

[stevepenny]

I think I know the answer;

Image if you will three intrepid aliens from Tau Ceti, traveling to our planet using one of NASA's Space Shuttles with a 100 Litre water tank (I did say use your imagination so I have no idea how they got hold of one in the first instance).

in the time it would take to travel to Earth the 100 litres of water would need to be recycled around 8.4 million times.  Now that would certainly put me off. 

Assuming that these travellers could survive on a single pizza per day (nothing spicy please) then where do you put the 140,000 tonnes of pizza dough?  IF one of these travellers has a likening for spicy pizza then the 26,000,000 litres of gaviscon (other rafting agents are available)  might also cause a storage embarrassment.

[ollypenrice]

I think time becomes more or less irrelevant when travelling at light speed? I.e. from our perspective it may take X years to travel X light years but from the point of view of the light speed traveller it will seem like almost no time at all?

Not quite; it is we, the outside observers, who would (if we could see them) think that the high speed voyager's clocks were crawling along at a near standstill. The voyager him or herslef would have no sense of this but, if looking at our clocks, would think they they had started to rev like Japanese mopeds.

I don't think it at all unreasonable to suppose that creatures with intelligence like ours would be curious to visit us, just as most of us would be curious to visit them. Where I do think we are being arrogant (or anthropomorphic, which is often the same thing) is in supposing that intelligence has to be like ours. Curiosity is an aspect of our intelligence but we should be able to imagine intelligence without it. The desire to know more about the macro world, to explore it, to engage in debate, are part of our intelligence but do they have to be a part of all imaginable intelligences?

Sadly, while I would be amazed if there were no intelligent life beyond Earth, I would be even more amazed if it resemled ours suffiently for communication to be possible. It is very difficult to communicate with animals with whom we have common ancestry and near identical DNA. That doesn't argue well for inter-stellar chat rooms...

Olly

[Laurie61]

Perhaps life forms, sufficiently intelligent to have control over their environment, are steered on to a common path as they cope with universal problems, the extreme cold and heat of space, hard vacuum and vast distances Ect ?   

[starman1969]

Not quite; it is we, the outside observers, who would (if we could see them) think that the high speed voyager's clocks were crawling along at a near standstill. The voyager him or herslef would have no sense of this but, if looking at our clocks, would think they they had started to rev like Japanese mopeds.

I don't think it at all unreasonable to suppose that creatures with intelligence like ours would be curious to visit us, just as most of us would be curious to visit them. Where I do think we are being arrogant (or anthropomorphic, which is often the same thing) is in supposing that intelligence has to be like ours. Curiosity is an aspect of our intelligence but we should be able to imagine intelligence without it. The desire to know more about the macro world, to explore it, to engage in debate, are part of our intelligence but do they have to be a part of all imaginable intelligences?

Sadly, while I would be amazed if there were no intelligent life beyond Earth, I would be even more amazed if it resemled ours suffiently for communication to be possible. It is very difficult to communicate with animals with whom we have common ancestry and near identical DNA. That doesn't argue well for inter-stellar chat rooms...

Olly

What a coincidence Olly. I just noted your name in an advert for Atik cameras. I was looking because I'm interested in getting one. Nice image btw.

[symesie04]

Not quite; it is we, the outside observers, who would (if we could see them) think that the high speed voyager's clocks were crawling along at a near standstill. The voyager him or herslef would have no sense of this but, if looking at our clocks, would think they they had started to rev like Japanese mopeds.

I don't think it at all unreasonable to suppose that creatures with intelligence like ours would be curious to visit us, just as most of us would be curious to visit them. Where I do think we are being arrogant (or anthropomorphic, which is often the same thing) is in supposing that intelligence has to be like ours. Curiosity is an aspect of our intelligence but we should be able to imagine intelligence without it. The desire to know more about the macro world, to explore it, to engage in debate, are part of our intelligence but do they have to be a part of all imaginable intelligences?

Sadly, while I would be amazed if there were no intelligent life beyond Earth, I would be even more amazed if it resemled ours suffiently for communication to be possible. It is very difficult to communicate with animals with whom we have common ancestry and near identical DNA. That doesn't argue well for inter-stellar chat rooms...

Olly

The lensed eye (the mainstay of life on Earth) has developed independently at least eight times in Earths history. That suggests that evolution given time in a stable environment will reach the same solution to problems, after all it is driven to provide the best solution to any given problem it can. Now currently we assume the laws of physics to be upheld everywhere in the universe and therefore we have to assume that the laws of biology (nature) should call the same tune throughout as well. We also have to assume that any lifeform we are likely to encounter will be of a organic origin (if not its hard to imagine that we would even know we have encountered them). So based on the laws of evolution being the same throughout the universe it would seem likely that any organic lifeform would evolve similar if not the same solutions to problems. It would need eyes to see, a way of smelling, hearing, consuming energy etc etc. Given this it doesnt seem unrealistic to imagine any other form of life to be something that we can at least recognize and likely be able to discern features that are similar to our own. 

With regards to curiosity im not sure civilization could of even got of the ground without curiosity. And you have to think any visitors would be from a civilization? And could a species develop technology without curiosity? I certainly cant imagine why a species would build spaceships to visit other worlds without curiosity. Yes "to conquer" i hear so of you shout but i think even the desire to conquer has its foundations firmly planted in curiosity.

And yes it is difficult to communicate with animals of a shared ancestry but then those animals havent developed an intelligence to build faster than light spaceships.