I figured the poll would be trouble as soon as I saw it. It looks like OP is wondering about visits by aliens, and people might be voting instead on existence.
I've seen UFOs. On one occasion, there was a story about it in the Austin American Statesman the next day. I believe it was in July of 1996. It did not resemble a spacecraft (at least as Hollywood imagines them). Seems likely aliens of some sort exist. But, I haven't seen any compelling evidence.
Due to the sheer size of the universe, the energy required for mass of any size to approach a small percetage of the speed of light, the lethality of radiation in space, the tiny fraction of time that intelligence has or will exist on this planet, there is like a 99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% chance you will never know. It's the height of conceit for the human race to think that we would be contacted among the trillions of planets. Our detectable electromagnetic signature only reaches out about 100 light years into the universe, so that's about 1/ 140,000,000 of the possible space. If an alien at 50 light years away (1/2 for funsies) heard our faint early radio signals, jumped in a ship and headed this way at the not likely speed of 1/10 the speed of light, he still wouldn't be here for another 450 Earth years.
Dang, my skull cracked open just reading that.... (P.S) There is as many 9's there as I have periods!! ....... ....... .......
Humanity is currently cataloging extrasolar planets using our limited technological ability. The technological advancement of a civilization - lets just say 2000 years past our current understanding is such a leap imo you cannot assume they can't overcome the obstacles you laid out. Time and vastness is a b**** though for us currently.
scale and perspective.... humans live at the human scale, 50 years and the 10 square miles of our friends and and families are of ultimate significance. Pull back 1 billion light years and our whole galaxy looks like another grain of sand on the beach.
It's almost a statistical sure thing that other intelligent life exists or has existed. It's almost a physical impossibility that humans on Earth would ever know about it. 200,000 years of existence in 14 Billion years of the universe. That's a pretty small fraction. 100 light years of electromagnetic signals in 14 billion light years of space. Trillions of planets... trillions. go look for life and tell me how low it takes to look at each one. Then get there. I can't even do the math to show what it would take to accelerate 1 ton of mass to 1/10 the speed of light, but its a lot (like the output of a large nuclear reactor for 10 years). Now fly that around in the Earths atmosphere like a fighter jet...OK now you still have to have enough energy to get home.
Obviously, if it were true, it would be in the Bible. After all we were made in God's image and are like the most important planet in the universe...right?
What about if they were a chill collective of beings who just want to eat some burgers since they don't have beef in their homelands?
Yes, I believe there are other life forms out there...it would be silly to think otherwise. As far as aliens coming to earth, I dont know about that.
I doubt aliens have visited earth but I'm sure intelligent life exists in many places other than earth.
