In 1950, physicist E. Fermi pointed out the contradiction between the fact that we still have not discovered alien life and the obvious probability of its existence in the vast Universe, reports The Byte.
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However, an idea has emerged that explains this paradox. Some astronomers believe that aliens could have known about us for a long time, although we do not know about them.
Firstly, it is not a problem for intelligent life to discover our planet. For more than a century, people have been actively transmitting radio signals into space.
Also in the Solar System and even beyond its borders there are devices equipped with transmitters, for example, the American Voyagers. According to astronomer Howard Isaacson, these ships alone will potentially “make humanity known” to more than 1,000 stars over the coming centuries.
Other experts believe that alien civilizations may also be able to detect Earthlings due to the abundance of urban lighting (a sign of an apparently technologically advanced community) and the level of pollution in the Earth’s environment.
Science fiction has long explored the possibility of aliens visiting us, and often these stories end disastrously. Researchers are actively debating whether we should even make ourselves known to alien civilizations, given the risks involved.
But perhaps it’s too late and we’ve been spotted. Why observers choose not to reveal themselves remains another mystery.