While signals from alien civilizations have reached the Earth, there is a high probability that by this time all the aliens have long been dead. To such conclusions came a group of American astronomers led by the Swiss researcher Claudio Grimaldi, who decided to turn again to the famous Drake equation, a formula designed to determine the number of extraterrestrial civilizations in our galaxy, with which humanity has a chance to come into contact.
In their work, the researchers calculated the area of that region of the galaxy through which the extraterrestrial signals must pass. According to Drake himself, civilizations are born and die at a constant rate. With the death of civilization, the transmission of messages also ceases. However, already sent signals continue their journey through the galaxy, as the circles diverge on the water. As a result, most of the galaxy is filled with messages from dead aliens.
The Milky Way’s diameter is one hundred thousand light-years, while the solar system is located about 26,000 light-years from the center of the galaxy. Scientists believe that most developed civilizations capable of sending radio signals do not exist for more than one hundred thousand years. Therefore, the chances of receiving a message from aliens still broadcasting at the moment are very small. The same mankind sends signals to space for about 80 years, so radio waves from Earth have covered less than 0.001 percent of the area of the galaxy.
“If a civilization living on the other side of the galaxy sends a message, then by the time this message reaches us, this civilization is already going to die out,” says physicist Claudio Grimaldi of the Lausanne Federal Polytechnic School.
