If billions of planets have sentient life, then why is the sky so silent?

[Blackrook]

We should have heard their radio transmissions by now.

 

[Moonglow]

What's the frequency they use?

 

[Blackrook]

Are you saying that outer space aliens use a secret frequency that we do not register on our SETI equipment?

 

[Crepitus]

Maybe they are avoiding us. There are conservatives here after all.

 

[rightwinger]

Radio signals dissipate at immense distances

 

[JoeMoma]

1. Because of the vast distances, it can take radio waves thousands or even millions of years to get here.

2. Also because of the vast distances, the radio waves are likely too week by the time they get here to register.

 

[Blackrook]

Radio signals dissipate at immense distances

What about a laser beam transmission?

 

[Oddball]

We should have heard their radio transmissions by now.

Who says they use radio?

 

[DGS49]

There is no intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. The chances that some other planet would have all the required conditions for life are so remote as to be non-existent.

 

[Blackrook]

There is no intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. The chances that some other planet would have all the required conditions for life are so remote as to be non-existent.

That's what I think.

Because if the chance of sentient life was even 1 chance in 1 trillion, there would still be numerous advanced civilizations in the universe, and if there were, they would have explored Earth by now.

 

[rightwinger]

Radio signals dissipate at immense distances

What about a laser beam transmission?

Narrow focus unsuitable for broadcast

We would have a slim chance of interception

 

[fncceo]

We should have heard their radio transmissions by now.

Inverse square law... space is big, really big. Bigger than Eddie Murphy is a fat suit big.

 

[rightwinger]

There is no intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. The chances that some other planet would have all the required conditions for life are so remote as to be non-existent.

That's what I think.

Because if the chance of sentient life was even 1 chance in 1 trillion, there would still be numerous advanced civilizations in the universe, and if there were, they would have explored Earth by now.

Due to the thousands of years to reach us.....it is unlikely they could get here

 

[toobfreak]

We should have heard their radio transmissions by now.

Oh the arrogance to think that a billion planets out there is anything but a drop in the ocean compared to the infinite expanse of space.
Oh the arrogance to think that our tiny eye-blink of time here on the Earth to detect them is anything compared to the roughly 14 billion year age of the universe.
Oh the arrogance to think that those out there who we might be interested in capable of true hyper-luminal space travel would even bother with crude radio waves.

 

[Oddball]

There is no intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. The chances that some other planet would have all the required conditions for life are so remote as to be non-existent.

With the massive expanse of the cosmos and the billions (trillions?) of galaxies, the law of averages would eventually catch up.

 

[Blackrook]

We should have heard their radio transmissions by now.

Oh the arrogance to think that a billion planets out there is anything but a drop in the ocean compared to the infinite expanse of space.
Oh the arrogance to think that our tiny eye-blink of time here on the Earth to detect them is anything compared to the roughly 14 billion year age of the universe.
Oh the arrogance to think that those out there who we might be interested in capable of true hyper-luminal space travel would even bother with crude radio waves.

So I'm arrogant just to ask the question?

Well, **** you too.

 

[Crepitus]

Radio signals dissipate at immense distances

What about a laser beam transmission?

How would they know where to point it?

 

[Carl in Michigan]

We should have heard their radio transmissions by now.

Not that I believe in aliens, but if they existed, why would they use radio for interstellar communication? Why would we? Messages would take hundreds and even thousands of years.

Nope. They have to use their sci-fi "subspace" communications and they have to wait until we discover it too

Subspace communication (also called subspace radio or the hyperchannel) was the primary form of communication used throughout the Federation. By transmission through subspace rather than normal space, subspace communication permitted the sending of data and messages across interstellar distances faster than the speed of light

 

[Care4all]

There is no intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. The chances that some other planet would have all the required conditions for life are so remote as to be non-existent.

That's what I think.

Because if the chance of sentient life was even 1 chance in 1 trillion, there would still be numerous advanced civilizations in the universe, and if there were, they would have explored Earth by now.

Due to the thousands of years to reach us.....it is unlikely they could get here

not without WARP Speed!!!

 

[frigidweirdo]

We should have heard their radio transmissions by now.

Should we?

It like saying that if there are a billion trillion hard core raves, we should also be hearing the noise of a child sleeping.