New
#121
For the time period that we have been seriously looking for other planets it seems that your remarks are a bit premature - another earth-like planet recently -
New super-earth detected within the habitable zone of a nearby star
and your estimate (~200) is a factor of ten out as of now -
11 New Alien Solar Systems Crammed with Exoplanets : Discovery News
Regarding the immensity of the universe and how long we have actually been looking then it is quite justifiable to assume that many planets similar to earth will exist elsewhere with the possibility of life forming as well.
Unless we do discover a mechanism for travelling to far distant worlds - which is possible - then perhaps we will not be going to them or being visited for a very long time. I think it is just part of the natural human ego-centrism (that we daily apply to other creatures) to think we are alone and somehow the endpoint of evolution or some other plan.
ps Just found the estimated number of planets (in our galaxy alone) -
http://news.discovery.com/space/milk...ds-120110.html
and this -
http://news.discovery.com/space/do-a...en-120207.html
Personally I think it is purely a timescale issue - approximately 14 billion years from start of our universe and the short timescale we have been emitting radiation and looking for it - what are the chances of other civilisations being within range?
Last edited by pincushion; 08 Feb 2012 at 05:43. Reason: add