Why haven't we found aliens?

[Suppressed]

[Free Vulcan]

Why haven't we contacted the ants and bees and opened diplomatic relations and built embassies?

[ABX]

Space is giant and time is long.

[Oceander]

Because they found us!  Area 51 is proof!

[mirraflake]

I am not 100% sure they have not already been here and just moved on.

[Joe Wooten]

The energy required to move at more than 10% of light speed makes an object moving at that speed easily detectable over very long distances just due to the collisions of the dust and gas in interstellar space with the ship. The radiation given off by those collisions will move at the speed of light ahead of said object and announce its arrival long before it gets here. We've had this detection capability for at least 60 years and have seen nothing.

IMHO, there are no spacefaring aliens.

[Oceander]

I am not 100% sure they have not already been here and just moved on.

An interesting speculative point

[kevindavis007]

They probably know about us, just don't want to talk to us.. Quite frankly I don't blame them..



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[Idaho_Cowboy]

We are lucky they haven't sued us for lowering galactic real estate values.

[Oceander]

We are lucky they haven't sued us for lowering galactic real estate values.

Maybe they're still in the planning stages of the highway bypass that's to be built through this star system?

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

The energy required to move at more than 10% of light speed makes an object moving at that speed easily detectable over very long distances just due to the collisions of the dust and gas in interstellar space with the ship. The radiation given off by those collisions will move at the speed of light ahead of said object and announce its arrival long before it gets here. We've had this detection capability for at least 60 years and have seen nothing.

IMHO, there are no spacefaring aliens.

Are we scanning the entire sky?

Are we looking for, and would we detect, said radiation headed towards where we will be when they get here[1]?

Even if the answer to both is yes, maybe they're just going somewhere else?

[1] One could argue that I should have used the word "there", not "here".  If we take an earth-centric view of the universe, technically there (where an alien ship who wanted to visit earth at some point in the future would be heading) is not here, it's there.  But, when they get there, there will be here (or here will be there?), so it's accurate to say either.

[Joe Wooten]

Are we scanning the entire sky?

Are we looking for, and would we detect, said radiation headed towards where we will be when they get here[1]?

Even if the answer to both is yes, maybe they're just going somewhere else?

[1] One could argue that I should have used the word "there", not "here".  If we take an earth-centric view of the universe, technically there (where an alien ship who wanted to visit earth at some point in the future would be heading) is not here, it's there.  But, when they get there, there will be here (or here will be there?), so it's accurate to say either.

Enough of the sky is scanned on a regular basis to be able to note a very high speed object within a couple of hundred light years of Earth, and the radiation would not just be emitted ahead of the object in just one direction, it probably would still be very bright if it is moving parallel to our orbit around the galaxy. There simply is no evidence of technologically advanced life out there, and based upon that, I conclude we are alone. A civilization at our technological level would be blasting huge amounts of EM radiation (radio, TV, radar) that is probably easily detectable over a couple hundred light years too.

[Free Vulcan]

Enough of the sky is scanned on a regular basis to be able to note a very high speed object within a couple of hundred light years of Earth, and the radiation would not just be emitted ahead of the object in just one direction, it probably would still be very bright if it is moving parallel to our orbit around the galaxy. There simply is no evidence of technologically advanced life out there, and based upon that, I conclude we are alone. A civilization at our technological level would be blasting huge amounts of EM radiation (radio, TV, radar) that is probably easily detectable over a couple hundred light years too.

Assuming they're aren't trying to hide their energy signature, or that we could detect it even if not.

[Frank Cannon]

Because they found us!  Area 51 is proof!

Area 51 is so last year. Area 52 is where the rubber meets the road.....and it's one scarier.

https://www.wired.com/2007/11/area-52-the-oth/

[driftdiver]

Area 51 is so last year. Area 52 is where the rubber meets the road.....and it's one scarier.

https://www.wired.com/2007/11/area-52-the-oth/

Michael Air Station in Colorado. 

No aliens there either

[Frank Cannon]

Michael Air Station in Colorado. 

No aliens there either

Oh. Well is there any word from Area 53?

[Cripplecreek]

Crap!

Its the earthlings again.

[geronl]

we haven't exactly been out there to other systems looking for them

[driftdiver]

Oh. Well is there any word from Area 53?

Yeah they said more Vaseline please.

[geronl]

It's the humans again, quick everyone be a rock

[driftdiver]

[Cripplecreek]

we haven't exactly been out there to other systems looking for them

We're the cousin Eddie of the galaxy.

[geronl]

You mean, we hasn't found aliens?



I thought we elected one.

[geronl]

Out there somewhere, with cats of their own to command them.

[kevindavis007]

Hell, I'm embarrassed to be from this planet.