Whenever I introduce myself to people as an astronomer, I invariably get the same response. It starts with...'that sounds really difficult' or 'you must be really clever to study astrophysics'. It then typically progresses to the person struggling to think of any bit of news related to outer space and the question: 'So is there extra-terrestial life out there?'
Let me make one thing clear. I haven't the foggiest. I don't study planets or astrobiology or anything remotely related to life in space. And simultaneously, whether or not there is other life out there, I don't care. It doesn't affect us. Any aliens residing on some planet in some remote Solar System in this galaxy or the next obviously haven't tried to make any contact with us, and we're far from having the technology to contact them!!
However, for those less sceptical people out there, let me fill you in on what I do know in relation to extra-terrestrial life.
1. It is extremely likely "aliens" do exist. In fact, it's extremely likely that multiple populations of aliens exist. Over the years, people have tried to model this scientifically, with the most popular instance being
2. In this new age of superior technology, many exoplanets (planets in different solar systems) have been located and studied. It is believed that, for a planet to host life, it would need to exhibit similar conditions to the planet Earth. This would include reasonable temperatures, the presence of water, a breathable atmosphere, etc (assuming alien bodies function in the same way that ours do). These planets are, in fact, being found
and who knows?? Maybe there is some form of life existing in these systems.
3. Since finding intelligent, or indeed any form of, life out in space would be a total scoop for any scientist, potentially winning them the prestigious Nobel prize, there are plenty of people constantly on the lookout. This is a real science people (apparently), so if you do want to know more about this stuff, check out
That's where all the real information is. As for me, I'm content to read news clips and information about this area of science, but it's not where my interests lie. In fact, when I think about life in the Universe, my mind always goes to this song...
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