The Great Beyond: Searching for Signs of Extraterrestrial Life
“Are we alone in the universe? Join the quest to find out!
The search for extraterrestrial life has been a captivating pursuit for centuries, and with the vastness of the universe and countless planets, the possibilities are endless. But despite the effort and technology, we’re still waiting for that one definitive sign of alien life. Let’s explore the unknown and discover if we’re truly alone in the cosmic ocean!”
In recent years, there have been significant advancements in technology that have aided the search for extraterrestrial life. One important development is the detection of exoplanets, planets that orbit stars outside our own solar system. The first exoplanet was detected in 1995, orbiting a pulsar. Now there are over 4,000 confirmed exoplanets, and it is estimated that there may be billions more in the universe.
Detecting exoplanets is done by using space-based telescopes such as the Kepler spacecraft, which NASA launched in 2009, which has been used to detect thousands of exoplanets.
A more advanced telescope named The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is a space telescope that NASA launched in April 2018 with the primary mission to survey the entire sky for transiting exoplanets, planets outside our solar system that pass in front of their host star, causing a temporary decrease in the star’s brightness. TESS can detect minor, rocky planets in the habitable zone of their host star, where conditions are favorable for liquid water to exist. This makes TESS an essential tool in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets. TESS can also cover a sky area 400 times larger than that monitored by Kepler.
Using these fantastic methods like the one TESS uses, the discovery of exoplanets has opened up new possibilities for the search for extraterrestrial life, suggesting that many more habitable worlds could support life. However, simply finding exoplanets is not enough to confirm the existence of life. To do that, we need to study the atmospheres of exoplanets and look for biomarkers, which are chemical compounds produced by living organisms and could be detected from a distance.
The things that we look at in an exoplanet are very similar to factors on Earth that made life possible on Earth, like the presence of a protective atmosphere that shields the Earth from harmful cosmic radiation and meteor impacts, the presence of a strong magnetic field that helps to protect the Earth from solar wind and other types of space weather and so much more. There are a few more external factors responsible for life on Earth, one of them being the composition of the interstellar medium, which is the gas and dust between stars in the Milky Way galaxy. This material contains the building blocks of life, such as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, which have played a substantial role in the building of the solar system and the development of life on Earth.
Many of these exoplanets are located in their star’s habitable zone; these zones are also referred to as the “Goldilocks zone or life zone,” which are the terms used to describe the region around a star in which the temperature is just right for liquid water to exist on the surface of a planet which is a key to ingredient for life as we know it. You may be shocked to learn that 85% of plant life on earth is found in the oceans. This region is not too hot or cold, but just right enough. The distance from a star where the Goldilocks zone is located depends on the star’s temperature and luminosity.
Because these telescopes can observe distant stars and planets in greater detail than ever, scientists can search for signs of life, such as biomarkers in the atmosphere of exoplanets. Studying the atmospheres of some of these planets is done by analyzing the light that passes through their atmospheres. A combination of several methods, such as Transit Spectroscopy, Direct Imaging, Spectral analysis, Polarimetry, Radial Velocity Method, and Microlensing, is used to detect the atmosphere of exoplanets. Each method has advantages and limitations, and the most accurate results are obtained using multiple methods. This has allowed scientists to detect the presence of certain chemicals that could be indicative of the presence of extraterrestrial life.
One of the key challenges in detecting biomarkers and organic molecules in the atmospheres of exoplanets is the fact that these compounds are often present in very small amounts. To detect them, scientists need to use highly sensitive instruments, such as space-based telescopes and spectrographs. With the launch of new and technically advanced telescopes like the James Webb telescope, we can get a detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets thanks to their high resolution and sensitivity.
Recently the James Webb Telescope revealed a rocky planet that is a few hundred degrees warmer than Earth using spectroscopy and a few other techniques. Although this might turn out to be a planet that is more like Venus than Earth, this rocky planet confirmation highlights the precision of the mission’s instruments. It demonstrates that the telescope is so sensitive that it can easily detect a range of molecules. However, a few precise measurements are still required to predict the atmosphere accurately. Still, the JWST has done fantastically, given that the planet was 41 light-years away. The JWST allows us to look for unexplored horizons and other strange, mysterious structures. It is a game changer.
But even with the most advanced telescopes, the major problem in identifying the potentially habitable planets via the use of telescopes is to determine whether they have finished their formation in that habitable zone or if they migrated to the habitable zone after the formation, which is opposite to what we believe happened with earth. This distinction is vital because a planet that has finished its formation in the habitable zone is likelier to have the necessary conditions for life, such as a stable climate and a sufficient amount of liquid water. Therefore, it is important to determine the stage of formation of a planet in order to assess its potential habitability accurately.
In addition to telescopes, several space probes and landers have been sent to other planets in our solar system to search for signs of life. One of the most famous probes sent to search for life in our solar system is the Viking lander, which was sent to Mars in the 1970s. The Viking lander conducted experiments to search for microbial life on the Martian surface and found evidence of organic molecules. Another probe sent to search for life in our solar system is the Curiosity rover, which has been exploring the surface of Mars since 2012. The Curiosity rover has found evidence of water on Mars, an essential prerequisite for life. Other probes and landers that have been sent to search for life in our solar system include the Cassini spacecraft, which studied the atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan, and the Huygens lander, which landed on Titan and conducted experiments to search for signs of life.
We also have a scientific community called The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), a scientific effort to search for evidence of intelligent life beyond Earth. SETI researchers use a variety of techniques to search for evidence of intelligent life, including the search for radio signals and other forms of communication. One aspect of SETI research involves searching for “noise” or anomalies in the electromagnetic spectrum that could indicate intelligent life. This is what is considered a shortcut to finding extraterrestrial life.
For example, SETI researchers use radio telescopes to search for unusual radio signals and intentional communication from an intelligent extraterrestrial civilization. They also use other instruments to search for different types of anomalies, such as unusual patterns (not created by nature) in the visible light spectrum or other wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation.
This hunt for extraterrestrial communications can be traced back to the first scientific publication on using radio waves to send information over interstellar distances, which Frank Drake undertook at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia, using an 85-foot antenna.
He also gave an equation famously known as the drake equation. It estimates the number of technologically advanced civilizations that may exist and are detectable in the Milky Way galaxy based on certain assumptions about the conditions necessary for life to exist and evolve. The equation considers several variables, including the number of stars in the galaxy, the fraction of those stars that have planets, the fraction of those planets that are capable of supporting life, and the fraction of those planets that actually do develop life. It also considers the probability that intelligent life will evolve on those planets and the length of time that intelligent civilizations will be able to communicate with other civilizations.
While the Drake equation is not a precise prediction, it is a useful tool for thinking about the probability of finding intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. It helps us consider the various factors that might influence the likelihood of finding life on other planets and the possible implications of such a discovery.
Overall, the search for noise is just one aspect of SETI research, and it involves using various instruments and techniques to search for intelligent life other than us. Several private companies are working on developing technologies to aid in the search for extraterrestrial life. For example, SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, is working on a mission to send a spacecraft to Mars in the coming years to search for evidence of life on the planet.
But the big question remains “Where are all the aliens? Despite the vastness of the universe, we’ve yet to find concrete proof of extraterrestrial life. Why the hunt for E.T. has yet to yield results.”
One reason for this can be explained by the Fermi paradox, which is the apparent contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial civilizations existing and the lack of evidence for it.
One possible explanation for this paradox is that the conditions required for life to evolve and thrive may be rare, and it will take time to encounter other life forms as we are just starting. Another possibility is that intelligent life is extremely rare, and we are the only intelligent beings in the universe. Yet another factor to consider is the vastness of the universe and how little of it we have explored so far. The nearest star to our own, Proxima Centauri, is over four light years away, and there are billions of other stars in our galaxy alone. To explore even a tiny fraction of the universe would take an enormous amount of time and resources, and we have only just begun to scratch the surface.
Another reason could be that we are looking in the wrong place. Maybe alien civilizations are far too advanced and have complicated AI systems that allow them to harvest energy from objects like supermassive black holes or other energetic objects which considered inhabitable. Various theoretical methods have been proposed for energy extraction via black holes. Although, as of now, these are all speculations, if we want to dream, we might as well dream big.
Or maybe the aliens have been here all along. Throughout the years, many people have reported sightings of UFOs and encounters with extraterrestrial life forms. These reports have come from various sources, including military personnel, pilots, and civilians. Some of these sightings have not been able to be explained by conventional means, leading to speculation about their origins. Encounters between UFOs and military aircraft have been reported in various declassified files from different countries. These encounters have been described as dangerous, with UFOs displaying high speed and maneuverability that cannot be explained by known aircraft. They are still under active investigation, and the main roadblock to them is fake information.
Excluding the hoax crop circles caused by natural phenomena and humans and alleged UFO sightings, we are yet to receive/detect an extraterrestrial signal other than the controversial WOW signal.
The WOW! signal was a strong narrowband radio signal detected by the SETI Institute’s Big Ear radio telescope in Ohio on August 15, 1977. The signal appeared to be of extraterrestrial origin and was detected only once, despite attempts to observe it again.
The WOW! signal received its name from astronomer Jerry Ehmann, who was studying the data from the Big Ear telescope at the time and circled the signal on the printout, writing the word “WOW!” next to it. The signal was considered one of the most promising candidates for a sign of extraterrestrial origin, and it has generated a great deal of interest and speculation over the years. Despite efforts to determine the source of the Wow! It was never detected again, and its origin remains a mystery. Some scientists believe that it could have been caused by extraterrestrial intelligence, while others propose more natural explanations, such as a passing comet or a glitch in the telescope’s equipment.
Despite the mystery surrounding the WOW! Signal, there is hope for future communication with extraterrestrial life. If there is extraterrestrial life, they may be intelligent enough to have their own SETI program. Unfortunately, most of Earth’s transmissions are not strong enough to be detected. However, The Arecibo broadcast proved to be an exception. It was a 3-minute-long message that was transmitted into space from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in 1974. The message was sent as a radio signal aimed at M13, a star cluster located about 25,000 light-years from Earth.
The message was encoded in the form of a series of 1s and 0s. It contained information about human beings and the Earth, including our DNA structure, the numbers 1 through 10, a diagram of the solar system, and a depiction of a human being. The message was transmitted in the hopes that an intelligent extraterrestrial civilization would receive it and provide them with a basic understanding of human life and our place in the universe. The Arecibo broadcast was the first attempt to intentionally transmit a message into space, and it has generated great interest and debate over the years. Some people believe it is essential to try communicating with other intelligent civilizations, while others argue that it could be dangerous to contact extraterrestrial beings.
Other than the Arecibo broadcast, there is also another form of communication: the voyager spacecraft. They carry a “Golden Record,” a phonograph record with a message for any extraterrestrial life that might find it, including images and sounds of Earth and its inhabitants and instructions on how to play the record.
The Voyager spacecraft carry a variety of scientific instruments, including cameras, spectrometers, and magnetometers, that have been used to study the planets, moons, and interplanetary space. They sent back a wealth of data and images that have greatly expanded our understanding of the outer solar system.
The Voyager missions discovered active volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io, revealed Saturn’s complex atmosphere and weather patterns, and found that some of Saturn’s moons have subsurface oceans, making them potential locations for life. The Voyager spacecrafts continue to transmit data back to Earth, despite being more than 22 billion kilometers away from the Earth.
Still, there are several limitations to current technology and techniques for detecting extraterrestrial life. One limitation is the fact that we can only detect exoplanets that are relatively close to us within a few hundred light-years. This means that we can only search for life on a small fraction of the potentially habitable exoplanets that exist in the universe.
Plus, the search for extraterrestrial life is also limited by our current understanding of what life is and what conditions are required for it to exist. There are several theories and hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the origins of life on Earth and the factors that may have contributed to the development of life on our planet.
So many interesting experiments have been conducted, but more is needed, and people are still looking for data and trying to fully understand our existence, origin, and evolution.
NASA Scientists are currently studying Life Origins By Simulating a Cosmic Evolution, which mainly includes the formation of amino acids, as they are the building blocks of life. They are trying to simulate the conditions and initial variables like temperature, radiation, etc., present in systems like asteroids, nebulas, and various other cosmic entities. They do this to see where they originated from, and this is important because if amino acids were formed in our solar system, then life could be unique here. But if they came from an interstellar cloud, these precursors to life could also have spread to other solar systems.
The researchers made ices like those found in interstellar clouds and asteroids, blasted them with radiation, and then exposed the leftover material, which included amines and amino acids, to water and heat to replicate the conditions they would have experienced inside interstellar clouds and asteroids.
Based on these speculations and numerous theories on the origin of life gives rise to one of the many-asked questions what would aliens look like us? The scientific community, as of now, does not have a consensus on what aliens might look like.
One popular idea is that aliens might resemble Earth’s life forms, as they would have evolved in similar conditions, such as the presence of water and a suitable temperature range. This would mean that aliens might have similar characteristics to Earth’s life forms, such as having similar biochemistry and being based on a similar genetic code.
Another possibility is that aliens might be vastly different from Earth’s life forms, as they would have evolved in different conditions, such as a different atmosphere, temperature range, or radiation environment. Some scientists have even suggested that aliens might not be based on carbon, the element that forms the basis of all known life on Earth, but on silicon or other chemical elements. Given the vastness of the universe, it is possible that aliens could take on a wide range of different forms and characteristics.
Despite so many challenges, scientists continue searching for extraterrestrial life and exoplanets, as finding signs of life somewhere else might give us clues about our origins. Many promising leads are being explored with the development of new technologies, like The potential for the use of quantum computing in the search for extraterrestrial life, which could allow for the analysis of large amounts of data in a shorter amount of time and the possibility of detecting more complex signals or patterns that may be indicative of extraterrestrial life, development of new methods for studying the atmospheres of exoplanets, including the use of machine learning algorithms to analyze data from space-based telescopes which will allow for the detection of a wider range of chemicals, the possibility of detecting more complex biomarkers, and the continued expansion of our understanding of the universe; we may one day find evidence of life beyond our planet. Until then, the search for extraterrestrial life remains one of the most captivating and mysterious areas of scientific inquiry.
But wait there is more The next installment in the search for extraterrestrial life is almost here. Get ready for a cosmic journey like no other. We’re talking cutting-edge tech, expert insights, and mind-blowing discoveries. So buckle up, grab a spaceship, and join us as we boldly go where no one has gone before! Stay tuned for a universe of excitement and adventure.
