Search for Extraterrestrials: Senior Astronomer Suggests We May See Actual Alien Signal by 2036

The search for extraterrestrials has been ongoing for decades, but we still haven't seen actual proof of their existence. However, one astronomer believes we might hear from them in less than two decades.

We Are Likely To See Actual Aliens By 2036

In a 2020 Reddit AMA thread, Seth Shostak, 80, encouraged fans to grill him and ask him any questions. One question asked him if we would find intelligent aliens before 2036, as he had previously predicted.

The scientist did not disappoint the Reddit user because he responded to the question. Shostak doubled down on his previous prediction.

"I do! The trend of improving hardware -- mostly computers -- has proceeded unabated. I'm still betting on a signal by 2036," he said.

Another user asked about possibly getting "any kind of contact." Shostak clarified that we might find a signal, but that would not mean communication. He stressed that if the alien civilization were thousands of light-years away, the exchange of messages would be slow.

The expert, however, acknowledged the development made every few weeks. According to him, it reinvigorates the search for life outside of Earth. He suggests preparing for that moment whenever it happens, and humans should check the signal, verify if it is extraterrestrial, and consult internationally before sending a reply.

The hypothesis is that aliens may have already received communications from NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) to the Pioneer 10 spacecraft launched in 1972. This implies that we might hear back before the decade is over.

According to Jackie Faherty, an astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, extraterrestrial civilizations will have "the front row seat to finding Earth as a transiting planet."

Morbid Theory: Alien Civilization May Have Not Survived Gamma-Ray Burst

While many hope he will eventually come into contact with the extraterrestrials, astronomy professor Dr. Frederick Walter shares his thoughts about the lack of contact with aliens. He suggested one "morbid alien theory." According to him, the alien civilization probably did not survive the massive supernova of radiation released by gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which could reportedly "sterilize about 10 percent of the planets in the galaxy."

A typical gamma-ray burst produces one quintillion (a 1 followed by 19 zeros) times the sun's light, making GRBs "the most powerful class of explosions in the universe." It has enough energy to wipe out any alien civilization in its galaxy.

Fortunately, decades of research by NASA's orbiting Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory has shown that gamma-ray bursts are relatively rare in our own galaxy, the Milky Way.

NASA scientists expected that when the Compton Observatory satellite was launched in 1991, more Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) from our pancake-shaped galactic disc would be visible. It turned out that supernova occurrences were, in fact, much more common in younger, distant galaxies that were still forming stars or, in the case of long-duration GRBs, converting collapsing stars to black holes.

Dr. Walter predicts a gamma-ray burst every 100 million years or so in any galaxy, and one could reasonably anticipate it to wipe out several civilizations, assuming any exist.

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