Why haven't we visited by aliens yet?

Question

I'm offering some theories, but would like to know more:
- We're the only planet with some sort of civilization
- Inhabited planets are too far apart for space travel, due to speed of light restrictions or something else
- Civilizations advanced enough to build ultrafast space ships also don't want to visit other planets (for moral reasons, or maybe they think it's too boring, or they developed an advanced cyberspace to simulate anything, including space travel)
- Civilizations across the universe evolved at about the same speed following the big bang, so other planets are still building better space ships like we do
- All civilizations that evolved to the point where they might soon build ultrafast space crafts blew themselves up with nuclear weapons etc.
- We've been visited by aliens but they (or we) keep it secret (or our memories of it will be erased after visits), or we are in fact alien descendants ourselves

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Excellent question -- especially the details.

I would go with number 2, but I want to add a few things to it.

It is probable (but not definite) that civilizations evolve at different rates. The hominid species spent a good million years just running around like an animal before we developed the mutation that allows us to imagine the future and make decisions that are not instinctual. So, even if civilizations were to develop on many different planets, they could be seperated in TIME by a few million years easily.

On top of that, before you send out an expedition to a planet in search of life, you'd want to receive a signal from them. We've only been broadcasting into space for some 40 years now... and 40 light-years is pretty small in the grand scheme of things. Even if another civilization received our signals today, it would take them 40 years minimum to respond, barring some faster-than-light communication technology, and probably much longer to actually get here. With our current rocket technology (~40 miles/sec exiting Earth's sphere of influence), it would take us a good 4500 years just to get 1 light-year away. I think the nearest star is about 4 light years away -- so that's a long time!

Intelligent life is most likely out there somewhere (or were, or will be), but I doubt we'll run across one anytime soon. The distances and times are too great. However, unintelligent aliens (microbes, or maybe sea-creatures) we might find in the next 100-200 years on the various moons and planets in our solar system.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thanks, very good answer!

Answer 2

I kinda go with the last one. I think we have been visited before and for some reason have kept it a secret.

Answer 3

because some aliens live on earth or at least that is what I think. i think they are just in hiding

Answer 4

It's a cool thought. The Scientology's religion worships just that idea. I'm not one of those, but this has intrigued peoples imagination for years.

Answer 5

Why would the Aliens come to this hideous planet...they are a superior intelligence and know better than to come and mix with us hideous people. If they are in our civilisation then they are smart enough not to tell us.

Answer 6

Why haven't we visited the aliens or why haven't the aliens visited us? I can give answers to both.
First, we haven't visited the aliens because we still don't know any. and why they haven't visited us (if they are) because they don't know if we are or because maybe they want us to visit them first.

Answer 7

I think the last one's the best answer. Not really the alien descendants, but the erasing the memory after visits one. Cause people who believe they've seen an alien or a UFO dont really keep them secrets. So I think if anyone was visited by aliens everyone would know by now...and most wouldn't believe it unless they saw it themselves.

Answer 8

just life is extremely rare, for life to occur, thousands or even millions of coincidences have to happen, now think about intelligent life, out of all the species on Earth, we only know of one inteliigent species - mankind, if even one gene in our body is altered, we might have been another species of monkeys...

Answer 9

Aliens dont exist. And if they did exist (which they dont) as destructive as we human beings are why would they wanna visit us? We probably end up robbing them!

Answer 10

We dont know where to look so we pass them by without knowing.

Answer 11

I think that the supernatural phenomenon that we experience is partly due to US government experiments that is classified to the public. Another thing about documented experiences like "Fire from the Sky" and others like this give us pause to think maybe there are aliens out there. Why they don't make contact with us openly may be due to a fear or apprehension because as a general rule mankind from its inception (Cain v Abel) has been a violent and angry creation. I'm sure that would give any other creation a real hesitation to make contact. Another theory that I've heard is that all the "alien" stuff is demonic. This is doubt seriously, but it might be an answer in some cases.

Answer 12

These statements are nothing more than your own theories.

Answer 13

Three answers for the price of one: 1) they don't exist; 2) they do but they haven't got round to visiting yet; or 3) we have been, but they landed in Scotland and were eaten by the Loch Ness Monster. Unfortunately, they were poisonous to Loch Ness Monsters, thus solving another mystery.

Answer 14

Easy answer: THERE ARE NO ALIENS!

Answer 15

I agree with, "Civilizations across the universe evolved at about the same speed following the big bang, so other planets are still building better space ships like we do." I think this universe is far too large for us to be the only people. I hope that we can meet the others some day!

Answer 16

we have, just look at the ufos in the sky.

Answer 17

Oh! We are here, Baby, we are here!

Answer 18

First off, I gotta say, angryamerikan, Open your damn mind.
your just perpetuating the dumb american stereotype that the rest of the world holds against us.
And i have this to say about the original question,If aliens were as advanced or a little more advanced than us i don't think they would be advanced enough to contact us,If they were advanced enough to get here i don't think we would be to high on their priority list, when you see a colony of ants,your interested, until one of them bites you,The ants are just advanced enough to know your up there observing them, but they are also a violent species who is quick to attack things that they do not understand,so a few bite you and you swat them then kick over their colony for the actions of a few stupid ants who dared to attack such a supierior enemy.

Answer 19

Aliens exist,but they are very far.We will never see them.they will never see us.We will meet them in another star ,colonizing the universe after thousands of years

Answer 20

We both belong to the universe, created at the same time, evolving at the same time. Chances are that alien life forms are evolving at a similar rate to us. We've not visited them yet because we are incapable with our current technology. Same goes for them.

That's my theory.

Answer 21

If ETs are advanced enough, they might be observing Earth right now, from a distance. If this is true, then they may have probes located at various points throughout our solar system and galaxy.

ETs aren't going to make it obvious that they are studying us because WE (human beings) might louse up their missions.

No one is sure how life got started here on planet Earth, but I'm sure if ETs had anything to do with it (via their space probes), then they have been observing us all along. We very well could be just one planet, among very many, where life has been seeded and ETs are just merely keeping record on how things are progressing on each of those planets.

Take the examples of what human beings are capable of today, through the means of technology, and imagine that in a thousand years what things we might also be able to explore from HUGE distances. Now, would this be no different than what ET is currently capable of?

Answer 22

We're simply too far away. And if they did come what is the probability that they would come now and not some other time out of billions of years?

They would have to be extremely close to know we are here. The probability that they are that close is near zero.

It is a long space-time journey for them. We'll have to give it time.

Answer 23

Another theory I've heard is that we (all of humanity) never really "orginanted" on this planet, and that we were in fact genetically engineered by aliens.

Pretty whacked out theory I'm sure, but it is kind of funny!

Source(s):

http://www.weeklyuniverse.com/2002/voron…

Answer 24

We have visited Earth for centuries. Over the centuries, your planet was a curious place to visit once or twice and was not considered very interesting . Sure, your wars showed us how undeveloped you are as a species and your infantile,(in cosmic terms) dependence on god concepts does not bode well for you. We are now showing an interest in you because it is not often that we get to observe a species commit suicide. You are so close to maturing as a sentient species and it will be a shame to see you kill yourselves. There are just not enough of you becoming rational enough to force the issue. You let the least among you determine your fate, so be it.

Answer 25

"Where is Everybody?" A famous question asked by Dr Fermi many years ago. It took us 3.6 billion years to develop into a thinking being. Time alone will preclude finding other beings with a higher cognitive ability. Will we find lower life forms on other planets? We,inadvertently,placed one on the moon and retrieved it during one of the moon walks.
There is a theory that alien viruses and bacteria which may be found in the upper atmosphere are responsible for some of the newer diseases. These are not cognitive creatures.
SETI is a vast waste of resources.
See the book listed below it has 50 reasons why know body has come-a-knockn.
See my blog: cosmicshootinggallery.blogspot.com there are other reasons we may never live to see another extraterrestrial species

Source(s):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/custome…

Answer 26

maybe aliens ask the same question

Answer 27

Aliens move amongst us. On their planet they are called "googles." They will abduct you and "blogoscope" you. Take care!

Answer 28

Inhabited planets are simply too far apart for convenient, worthwhile travel. I'm not sure what the average distance the stars in our galaxy are spaced, but if 1 in every 1,000 stars has an inhabited planet (just a wild stab there, it's probably more like 1 in 100,000), the distance to the next planet with intelligence on it is hundreds of light years. A formidable obstacle to popping over for tea.

Answer 29

To me, the most plausible answer seems to be we are aliens ourselves, otherwise I can't find who developed pyramids etc.

Answer 30

Why would aliens walking by look at our ant hill.