The universe...

[j4ckaL]

If aliens have the technology to come to our planet from distant reaches of the galaxy/universe, I'm sure they have the technology to hide their presence from us.

 

[molsen]

why would they even care about meeting us and getting to know us? they know our planet is doomed and dying. they're just here to watch it all go down. of course maybe they're here to help!?

 

[killians45]

How about the possibillity that communication as of right now is impossible. We are so sure that any intelligent being would communicate via certain ways that we know. What if they communicate on a sub atomic scale, or possibly they have mastered the use of strange matter for instantaneous communications, or any number of other ways we cant even fathom. How are we to know that there isn't a huge amount of traffic zooming about right now that we have no way recognizing as alien communication. For them, to understand our radio signals maybe just as primitive as the grunts and hand signals neadrthals used for communications. Just maybe we don't know how to receive these signals because they are using sub atomic principles. Plus, maybe we are considered the backwoods redneck area of space that everyone wants to avoid and pretend isn't there, but knows we exist like some dark and sinister secret. Don't goto earth! They're nothing but a bunch of white cosmic trash. Maybe they are so far advanced we just wouldn't understand them what-so-ever, and would thus be like a bee or a roach trying to understand us. They just dont SEE us because they are at a conscious so far above us, that to them we are as ants are to us.

 

[Apokalipse]

actually, the US government is the one supporting the UFO stories. they're developing new aircraft all the time, and they don't want other governments finding out what they have, otherwise they'll try and steal the technology.

anyway, billions of light years is a gross understatement. there's trillions of galaxies out there.

and the distance between the galaxies just keeps getting bigger.
the further away from us a galaxy is, the faster it's going. and the furthest the hubble can see is about 13.7 billion lightyears.
the reason it can't see further is because at that point, objects are travelling faster than the speed of light relative to us; so the light can't reach us.

Einstein's relativity does show that objects can't move faster than light, otherwise their mass would become infinite - M = M0 x 1 / SQRT(1 - V²/C²) - and the time they would experience would be zero - t = t0 x SQRT(1 - V²/C²)

but that is assuming space is static (no distortions in space)
in fact, what they've found is that space itself is expanding.
think of a balloon, with space being the surface of the balloon.
it's the same as that, but with 3 dimensions.

although the galaxies may be travelling at a much lower speed relative to us relative to static space, the actual space distortion is very significant given the billions of lightyears that's stretching between us.

 

[cwiz]

the nice thing about believing that the universe is infinite is that I can be the center of it!!

as much as i'd like to take credit for this, its actually the dali lama's words paraphrased

 

[Apokalipse]

I don't think the universe is infinite in size. the big bang has been proven, and it says that the universe is always expanding. i.e. finite in size, but always increasing.

 

[cwiz]

the big bang didnt prove anything. its a theory and a hack of one at that... it goes against the LAWS of thermodynamics. how can something go from billions of things into one point and back again? it would be like water vapor turning into a puddle then forming into an icecube, except on a much bigger scale. order and disorder only work in one direction. for the universe to behave in that manner, would would need... hmmm... devine intervention?
things dont work like that! the law PROVES it.
to believe in the big bang theory you have to put reality on hold.

 

[beedubaya]

This is like the future discussion. I dont think anything that science fiction has laid out is actually whats out there. Thats all in OUR imaginations. If there is life out there, it might not even be something that us humans can comprehend. Everything we think of is based on something we know and see here on earth. Life in outer space will not be such.

 

[cwiz]

This is like the future discussion. I dont think anything that science fiction has laid out is actually whats out there. Thats all in OUR imaginations. If there is life out there, it might not even be something that us humans can comprehend. Everything we think of is based on something we know and see here on earth. Life in outer space will not be such.

perhaps silicon based life forms... silicon and carbon have very similar chemical properties.

would we even know what we're looking at when we see new life?

 

[molsen]

it goes against the LAWS of thermodynamics. how can something go from billions of things into one point and back again? it would be like water vapor turning into a puddle then forming into an icecube, except on a much bigger scale.

wow, do you have any idea what you're talking about? um what you described is within the laws of thermodynamics actually. water vapor to liquid to ice and back is perfectly possible. no matter that scale. this is not even close to an analogy of the big bang

order and disorder only work in one direction.

lol what??? what does that have to do with the big bang? at the big bang (or the big crunch) there is disorder, but that's hardly a direction....it's an instant

for the universe to behave in that manner, would would need... hmmm... devine intervention?
things dont work like that! the law PROVES it.
to believe in the big bang theory you have to put reality on hold.

wait wait wait...let me get this straight.

you're saying that for one to believe in the big bang theory, one would have to ignore reality? but not so for devine intervention?

even though it's painfully obvious you have NO IDEA what you are talking about, you crack me up.... too bad we can't talk religion here anymore.