Cosmos Episode 12: Encyclopedia Galactica Part 7 of 7

Are there alien intelligences? How could we communicate with them? What about UFOs? The answers to these questions take us to Egypt to decode ancient hieroglyphics, to the largest radio telescope on Earth and, in the Spaceship of the Imagination, to visit other civilizations in space.

Dr. Sagan answers questions such as: "What is the life span of a planetary civilization?" and "Will we one day hook up with a network of civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy?"

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Cosmos
• Sagan
• Encyclopedia
• Galactica
• Episode

[rflooker]

I looked at those "hard evidence" I can't say that they are even "soft" sorry but a green laser shown on a radar screen is not "evidence" but I have no problem with real evidence if it shows up :) like Sagan I think it would be a most amazing and wonderful thing if aliens did show up... maybe someday

[Sondre7]

Incredibly inspiring. I will dedicate my life towards bringing humanity into space. My name is S. Rasch

[andres6868]

The prologue was filmed in 1989? He aged a lot in just 9 years.

[LordZontar]

@Shavarnarak — it would indeed be a not-trivial challenge for any intelligent, spacefaring species to manage a journey even to the nearest star to their own home solar system if Einsteinian physics is inviolable on principle or even by any mechanical means that could be devised. The only rational motivation for journeys beyond any civilisation's parent system would be the necessity to migrate to another star system, usually due to the imminent death of the home system's primary.

[LordZontar]

In answer to TylerD113, one method of communication which was discussed in Cosmos and elsewhere would be through mathematics. Transmitting prime numbers would be a certain callsign from intelligent beings, as there is no natural process by which signals corresponding to prime numbers could be generated (unlike the regular signals generated by pulsars, which is simply a function of the rotational momentum and electromagnetism of a fast-spinning neutron star).

[TheOldCrankyWorkshop]

I don't see how the universe *isn't* teeming with life. At the same time, if there are extraterrestrials out there who are intelligent enough to travel to Earth, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find that they deliberately avoid this place. I would; hell, it's dangerous.

And now we have a president who's pulled the plug on any meaningful space exploration, so he can spend more of our money on his damned wars.

I'd stay away from here, and if I could, I'd leave.

[ScooperGetHype]

@Shavarnarak You've got to think bigger picture. Sure, humans on Earth may die out in a nuclear winter or an asteroid impact or a great war but that's why we've got to become a multi-planetal species. If we can start to move and start colonies of breeding humans on new planets that can harbour us or develop the technoledgies to be able to terraform uninhabital plaents so they're suitable for us then we will inevitably find aliens. If we sit on Earth forever we will die out and be forgotten.

[Kabukita]

Vamos Argentina!!

[MelleB90]

I hope you succeed and I am 100% behind you.

[gyromancy2]

We are being visited. Look up "Bob White artifact" on youtube. That's the hard evidence Carl Sagan is looking for but can't have now that he's dead (and he will be missed).

--

[gyromancy2]

Carl Sagan wants hard evidence?? Okay, NO PROBLEM!!!

1. Bob White artifact

2. JAL Flight 1628 radar target printouts from John Callahan

----