Each of us wondered whether we are alone in the universe or not. Looking into the night sky strewn with stars, it is difficult to imagine that there is not a single intelligent civilization among them. People began to think about the likelihood of the presence of extraterrestrial life even before humanity was able to look deep into our galaxy and even consider others. Even those who are very far from ufology and astronomy are still arguing about this issue, but why?
The fact is that in our time there are many people who live according to the principle "I have not seen, so it does not exist." There are such people even among astrologers, and they need irrefutable facts that intelligent life exists among billions of stars.
"We are not alone" - Frank Donald Drake's formula
Back in 1960, Professor of Astrophysics and Astronomy F. D. Drake deduced a formula by which you can calculate the approximate number of intelligent civilizations in the visible space of mankind.
There are seven terms in the Drake equation, where everything is taken into account, from the number of planets around a certain star, to the age of their full formation and the conditions for living like us.
As you might guess, the Drake equation is a complex problem that could not be solved completely for many decades. The results were too different to get a confident answer, because in one case the equation showed a zero probability of the existence of an extraterrestrial civilization, and in the other - there were more than a thousand of them.
The key to solving the Drake equation was the Kepler telescope, thanks to which the formula finally took on its final form. "Kepler" helped to look into the depths of space and establish a more accurate number of stars and planets, of which there were much more than astrologers had seen before. After such discoveries, the Drake equation began to give a constant positive result.
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After astrologers received positive results, it is time to calculate the likelihood that we are the only intelligent civilization. Professor of physics and astronomy Adam Frank decided to use this formula to calculate not the probable number of intelligent civilizations, but, on the contrary, the probability that we are the only civilization in the entire universe. The results were negligible, and the probability of our loneliness is less than a thousandth of one.
Explanations of the Fermi paradox
The favorite argument of skeptics is the Fermi paradox, which has existed since 1950. Physicist Enrico Fermi once asked astronomers one simple question that puzzled many: "If there are aliens, then where are they?" This question was called the Fermi paradox, which some people use to this day.
But nowadays, quite reasonable explanations have begun to be found for the Fermi paradox.
Aliens simply do not engage in "self-promotion" like Earthlings. We have been sending various signals into space for decades, hoping to hear the answer. What if other intelligent civilizations are more cautious? As long as you do not “scream” about your existence, you are in a safer environment, and it has always been that way.
They are not interested in us. Perhaps this is the most impressive argument. In science fiction books and films, Earth is replete with rare resources for aliens, but the reality may be completely different. Most likely, our planet and a relatively young solar system are simply not of any interest. And even more so our young, by possible standards, race for other civilizations is considered nothing more than a "cave".
SUKHANOVA IRINA
