Why doesnt earth get visited by aliens?

Question

Given the amount of time the earth has been in existance and the infinate size of the universe, would it be reasonable to assume that we should be visited ALOT. Statistically, aliens HAVE TO exist.

Answer 1

Any evidence of earth being inhabited by intelligent beings is only about 100 years old. The odds of an intelligent race being within 100 light years of us in the universe which is 14 BILLION light years across are pretty slim.

Answer 2

While there are most likely more beings out there in the verse, if any bothered to study us by actually hanging out with us they would likely leave soon after due to boredom. Also, if they posses the ability to come here study us so secretly, I doubt they would actually have the need to come in person. Why would they bother when there are so many other ways to do so? Besides, coming to earth would be like roughing it in the wilds for us. Sure it might be fun for a short time, but then I want to go home and take a shower and surf the internet. Know what I mean. Not like it would be difficult to see how advanced we are, everything we know is being zipped through the air all over the planet all the time, it wouldn’t even take much to break any of our encryption software if they wanted. Just imagine, if they still have what we consider computers, what they would be capable of. We are not even a worth being called a threat yet.
I just don’t see any rational reason why an advanced race would need or want to come here?

Answer 3

Look at this way. Humans have come a long way technologically. And, yet, we do not have the tools we would need if we decided to conduct a thorough exploration of the solar system. We can only send automated probes to the outer planets and even those take years to arrive.

Do you think that humans could visit another star system? The closest star system is the Centauri system. Proxima Centauri is about 4.2 light years from our sun. If we tried to travel to Proxima Centauri in less than 900 years using the best rocket engines available, we would need to expend the mass of the entire known universe as propellant. It simply isn't feasible. The level of technology required for routine (or even effective) interstellar travel is far, far beyond what we have now.

If there's another species out there just like us, then they cannot get here, just as we cannot get there.

If there's another species out there who can travel interstellar distances effectively, then they are far more advanced than we are and may have visited us regularly without us being aware of it. Or, they may be on the other side of the Milky Way and are not yet aware of us. Or, they may be busy exploring the star systems closest to them and we are far down the list of priorities. Or, perhaps their version of the "Prime Directive" requires them to stay away.

I think that the fact that we haven't made "first contact" has no meaning whatsoever vis-a-vis the (non)existence of other sentient species in the galaxy. They may be out there; they may not be. There are any number of reasonable explanations as to why we haven't met anyone yet.

Answer 4

Ahh.. The Fermi Paradox!
There are two conventional answers:
1)There isn't any other intelligent life
2)Life is so rare in the universe that it is just impossible to travel and meet another intelligent beings.

There are several more unconventional answers:
Zoo Theory- Aliens put life here to just stare at us through telescopes- they don't interfere.
Experiment Theory- We have the same DNA as aliens, they put it here as an experiment (these same people think Mars may be a faliure)
Abdution Theory- they've come, they're experimenting and kidnapping us already

Answer 5

There are many variables that should be considered before making any assumptions for this question. #1 you have to take into consideration that maybe our fellow aliens don't have as an advance technology as we, or maybe they don't communicate like we do with radio waves over long distances, and maybe they don't even know we exist. If they do, they might not WANT to make first contact with us in fear that we will think they will act hostile to them. So you can see there are many reasons why aliens are not trying to visit us.

Answer 6

"Statistically, aliens HAVE TO exist"

You can't make a statistic with one. Sure, there may be trillions of stars out there but there is still only one place where life exists.

Anyway, just look at animal planet or discover. It's always said to let wild animals live alone in the wild. Don't feed them or they get used to humans. That may be a reason aliens don't want to show themselves. They want to study us in our natural habitat.

Answer 7

For sentient alien life to visit us, they need to fulfil a number of criteria: they have to share our reality, or have a similar (or higher) level of sentient intelligence; they must have the ability to economically travel vast distances, and they must want or have a reason to.

In considering reality, alien life would need to share a similar intelligence to be able to communicate. They may have a similar level of sentient thought, but their reality, beliefs, and understanding of the universe is vastly different, Humans would barely understand them, their motives, and quite possibly, not even be aware of what it is they are looking at.

When it comes to travel there are a huge number of considerations to take into account - the level of understanding of science, mathematics and physics. This would automatically make them superior by the mere fact that they could get here, using greater technology and intelligence, but just as importantly, they have to be sure they can get home again.

This also comes down to why they would want to come here. It’s unlikely that earth has any resources not available on any other planet, and certainly no greater technological superiority. As a species we are incredibly sadistic, violent, thoughtless, greedy, self obsessed, and have almost no regard for ourselves let alone alien life.

Conversely, they wouldn’t even bother to attack us: There would be no motivation to look for gold, or learn about the people, or even take the land. They would already have access to vast resources; they would probably be aware that we would try to rob them at our first opportunity, and there are trillions of other planets available to them at no risk. Any thinking alien life would be perfectly happy to claim our planet after we destroy ourselves.

If they ever did have a reason it would be merely in passing to take a note of our evolution, having no desire for contact until we expanded out there toward them.

Answer 8

Well, the statistical argument might be valid, but that doesn't mean they have to visit. The speed of light being a constant, it takes a long time to get here from most destinations. If the nearest spacefaring civilization is 1000 light years away, then it will take millenia for them to arrive. You'd have to have a helluva good CD collection for that trip!

Answer 9

If there actually are aliens, who says they care to drop in on us? Perhaps, scientifically, they have no capacity for surviving in our atmosphere. Just like we can't live on Mars, (or at least sustain ourselves without some sort of space suit), they might not be able to survive in Earth's conditions. Besides, think of it from the other way around - why aren't we visiting other inhabited planets? Are there even planets out there where beings have actually built cities and occupy like us? Who knows...

Answer 10

I sure believe in aliens but I don't think they have ever visited us. To me these are the reasons why they haven't visited us:

1. they cant locate us.

2. intelligent life is rare and they would have to travel great distance to reach us.

3. they aren't interested in us.