Do Astronomers Believe in Aliens?

November 24, 2008

The scoop: Believing that intelligent extraterrestrial life -- aka aliens -- exist is one thing. Believing that they have visited Earth in our short time on the planet is another. Astronomer, author and blogger Phil Plait explains.

When I give public talks, I can almost guarantee that during the Q&A I'll get asked: Do I believe in aliens and UFOs?

My answer usually gets a laugh: "Yes, and no."

As far as aliens go, I suspect pretty strongly that there's life in space. We know of over 300 planets orbiting other stars, and we've only just started looking. In our Milky Way Galaxy alone there are probably literally billions of planets. Life on Earth got started pretty rapidly, relatively speaking, after the crust cooled and liquid water formed, so we know it's not tough for life to get its start... and it's entirely possible there is microbial life inside icy moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn.

So thinking aliens exist has a pretty decent scientific basis. But them coming here is an entirely different beast.

Interview With a UFO Investigator

Discovery Channel's "UFOs Over Earth" series follows Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) investigations into reports of strange sightings and alien encounters. Discovery Space producer Dave Mosher interviews John Ventre, a MUFON investigator appearing on the show.

MUFON Guy (9:14 AM): Hi Dave, I'm on.

Dave on Earth (9:14 AM): Hey there -- strange, but I can't see you on my buddy list.

MUFON Guy (9:15 AM): I hit invisible.

Dave on Earth (9:15 AM): Ah, well there's our explanation. An unidentified typing object.
Jokes aside, you're appearing in a new Discovery Channel show called "UFOs over Earth." What did you do in the episode?

MUFON Guy (9:17 AM): Yes, I'm the Pennsylvania state director for MUFON and I helped conduct an investigation.

Dave on Earth (9:18 AM): MUFON... What is that ?

MUFON Guy (9:19 AM): The Mutual UFO Network. We have 3,000 members and 950 certified investigators.
We interview witnesses and conduct scientific investigations to explain their UFO sightings.

Dave on Earth (9:20 AM): UFO -- unidentified flying object -- sightings, correct?

Are You A Believer?

November 20, 2008

I just hopped off an online interview with a director from MUFON -- the Mutual UFO Network -- and felt the need to say something about it.

Our interview, by the way, regards a mini-site I'm building for a Discovery Channel show called "UFOs Over Earth". As of right now the schedule is:

- The Bucks County Flap - Nov. 24 (Mon.) at 9:00 pm ET.
Re-runs: Dec. 13 (Sat.) at 10:00 pm ET and 2:00am ET

- Mass Sightings in Mexico - Nov. 24 (Mon.) at 10:00 pm ET

- The Fayetteville Incident - Re-runs: Dec. 13 (Sat.) at 9:00 pm ET and 1:00am ET)

TV schedules are fickle, however, so for the most up-to-date one click this here link.

At any rate, back to the chat...