A researcher publishes his theory on why aliens haven’t contacted Earth. This should be possible in hundreds of years at the earliest.
Jerusalem – If there is extraterrestrial intelligent life in the universe, why hasn’t it contacted us Earthlings yet? There are countless answers to this fundamental question, including that the earth is “well hidden.” Now, a new unparalleled study surprises with an explanation: extraterrestrials have not yet contacted our planet because there is no sign of intelligence on Earth.
The theory of Israeli astrophysicist Amri Wandel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem sounds irreverent at first sight: one might feel offended. But if you take a closer look, the change might just be right. His argument: Humanity has only been sending radio signals that have penetrated space for almost a hundred years. That is why the so-called “radio bubble” that surrounds the earth is not particularly large with a diameter of about 200 light years.
Contact with extraterrestrials: Signals from Earth have not yet penetrated far
For comparison: The Milky Way – the galaxy in which the earth is located – is 100,000 light years in diameter, the universe is said to be 94 billion light years in diameter according to research. So far, radio waves emanating from Earth have only been able to reach about 15,000 of the closest stars, Wandel explains in his study. on the prepress server ArXiv issued has. However, there are said to be up to 400 billion stars in the Milky Way alone.
But Wandel’s argument goes even further: since the first terrestrial radio signals are only a hundred years old, the reactions could only come from civilizations at most 50 light years away. After all, the signal from Earth would take 50 light-years to reach the alien civilization, while the return signal would take just as long.
Theory: Extraterrestrials have not yet seen any intelligence on Earth
However, according to Wandel, there should be enough potential candidates within a radius of 50 light years around the earth: the astrophysicist estimates that there are about 2000 stars in this radius, around which an unknown number of planets orbit.
First contact with extraterrestrials in several hundred years at the earliest
However, for those who can’t wait for possible first contact with extraterrestrials, the astrophysicist also has good news: As the radio bubble around the earth expands over time, it should be more likely that they will receive extraterrestrial communications or even probes in the future. spatial. According to Wandel, the so-called “era of contact” begins 400 to 2000 years after the first radio communication in space. In 300 years at the latest, first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization could take place, if change is desired.
Another study speculates that it could be many thousands of years before the first communication with extraterrestrials. Despite this, a research group is already working on greeting protocols for first contact. Another team is working on a message for extraterrestrials to be intentionally sent into the universe. (form)
