I’ve never seen a flying saucer. Nor do I ever expect to see one. But a lot of responsible people claim to have seen them. This raises a perplexing question — are we alone in the universe? Is there anybody or any thing else out there?
Well, consider the mathematics. Conservatively, there are about a hundred billion stars just in our Milky-Way Galaxy (not my numbers, folks!) — that’s a 100 with 9 zeroes after it — and conservatively there are about two hundred billion galaxies in the known universe (again, not my numbers either, folks!). That’s 200 with 9 zeroes after it. Multiplying the two, we get a 2 with 22 zeroes after it, or something that looks like this – 20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars in the universe: or if you’re a mathematics geek like me, that’s 2E22, using scientific notation (2 times 10 to the power of 22). Many of the stars have one or more satellite planets, which then kicks the count out of mind-boggling sight!
So, again, I pose the question: are we alone in the universe? Or are we a 20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to 1 accident? Personally, I like to think that mathematically, at least, there’s somebody else (or some other thing) out there in the universe, and maybe he or she (or it) is writing a “My Turn” piece for his or her (or its) newspaper, asking: “Are we alone in the universe?”
I’m anxiously awaiting the day when one of those flying garbage can lids lands in my front field and a little green guy or gal (or thing) pops out and says: “Take me to your leader.”
So, again I pose the question: are we alone in the universe? I will not be able to sleep tonight while pondering this ponderous question.
Ray Cassidy
Ashfield