Astronomer dismisses talk of aliens visiting Earth from outer space

[Ck]

Anyone fascinated by UFO sightings will be disappointed to learn that a leading expert has dismissed suggestions we have ever been visited by aliens from outer space.

There may be life out there, apparently, but it is just too far to get to Earth by spaceship.

Following reported sightings of UFOs there has been renewed speculation that aliens may be watching us.

But Dr Christian Kaiser, of the University of Southampton, said it is unlikely any can have made it this far.

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[Earl]

What the fuck does he know?

[timey]

There may be life out there, apparently, but it is just too far to get to Earth by spaceship.

This is what I have been saying all along.

[Earl]

The claim would hold more weight if he knew all about spaceships. There's no way of saying that aliens don't have the technology. They could be aliens that have been traveling through space for thousands of years, for all we know.

[timey]

The claim would hold more weight if he knew all about spaceships. There's no way of saying that aliens don't have the technology. They could be aliens that have been traveling through space for thousands of years, for all we know.

That's true but he is right that the nearest aliens are more than likely to be too far away to have ever been able to get here. I also believe that near light speed is almost impossible to attain which makes it even less likely there have ever been aliens here. The thing is as well, why would they come here in the first place? There is nothing special about this area of the galaxy that would be detectable at any reasonable distance.

[Earl]

Surely all the stuff we use as resources would be valuable to any aliens, and we give off plenty of signals we're here.

I understand that scientists have ruled out traveling at light speed, and I'm happy to go along with that line of reasoning. However, some of the same scientists have said that it would be theoretically possible to travel great distances with wormholes and other such Star Trek like nonsense.

Obviously the chances of this are pretty remote, but so are the chances of a lot of things.

[timey]

Surely all the stuff we use as resources would be valuable to any aliens, and we give off plenty of signals we're here.

Yeah, but our signals have only gone 100 light years out, which is nothing in galactic terms. They would have to have reached planets with civilisations of sufficient technology to detect them and also have the technology to travel here. If that were the case, we would have detected them by now as well.

I understand that scientists have ruled out traveling at light speed, and I'm happy to go along with that line of reasoning. However, some of the same scientists have said that it would be theoretically possible to travel great distances with wormholes and other such Star Trek like nonsense.

Yeah, all theories at present. No-one has yet worked out how you would get through a wormhole without being crushed to the size of a pinhead, and they don't even know if it would be possible to survive it.

Obviously the chances of this are pretty remote, but so are the chances of a lot of things.

True, but I "play the odds", which is why I say my belief is no aliens have been here. I could be wrong of course, but I have yet to be convinced otherwise.

[Earl]

There could be aliens just roaming around the universe in spaceships already, they could move into the reach of our radio signals etc and we wouldn't know anything about it.

I don't believe in aliens, like you say I'm going to need a bit of hard evidence, but I'm loathe to rule it out. I like the idea we might find some aliens one day.

And kill them.

[timey]

I'm sure there are aliens out there, I bet but they'll be in another galaxy looking up and thinking "I wonder if there are aliens out there".

[Ck]

All this talk of light travel - they could have hidden planets, they could!