Thoughts on the size of our universe

A few days ago I read an astounding article put out by Associated Press on the latest findings regarding the size of our universe. Astrophysicists now believe our universe contains two trillion galaxies !  A galaxy is a collection of stars. Our own galaxy contains approximately 200 billion stars! These numbers are virtually impossible to get one’s mind around. Let’s be conservative and assume that our galaxy is above average in size and assign 100 billion stars per galaxy – then we end up with 200 billion, trillion stars! 

Other recent research is finding that many stars have planets going around them like in our solar system. Why for so long many assumed that our solar system was unique I can’t think. Our solar system has eight planets, but again let’s be conservative and say that the average solar system has just two planets, then we come to the figure of 400 billion, trillion planets.

By studying the light coming from other parts of the universe we know that it’s all made up of the same elements. These numbers are so huge it is certain that many other planets will be very similar to ours, with oceans and continents, and similar climate. As we understand the conditions for the carbon-based life that we have – we need a planet not too big, not too small and with a good amount of water, and circling a sun that’s the right size and strength. Let’s be carefully conservative here and say that these conditions may only occur for one in a million planets, we still end up with 400,000 trillion planets. Biochemists are puzzled by how life started on ours – that’s if you don’t involve a God intervention. But life did start up and surprisingly soon after planet Earth began its existence – about 500 million years after its creation, most of that time waiting till things cooled down from a ball of fire. Let’s be conservative once more and say that even if all the conditions were conducive, that some form of self-reproducing material only started up on one in a thousand of these life-possible planets, we still end up with 400 trillion planets in our universe with life on them. Holy cow! – there’s probably another Bryan Hamlin typing up a similar blog somewhere else J 

Having already read the morning paper with it’s Trump/Brexit/Aleppo headlines I’m not so sure about claiming intelligent life on this planet, but seeing as I’m posting this on the internet I’ll call it ‘technically astute’ or a TA sort of life. So what might be the chances of TA life on any of the other 400 trillion planets with life on them?

Even if this were only a one in a million possibility that would leave us with 400 million other places in the universe with ‘clever’ life on them. But even with all our modern technology one basic fact that we’ve learned is that you can’t send a message faster than the speed of light, and these other planets are often thousands or even millions of light-years away. So we send a message saying: ‘Hi, we’re pretty intelligent, are you able to reply and tell us how you’re getting; we’ll have to wait several thousand years for a reply.

So, it’s virtually certain that there is life on other planets, and a good chance that some of that life will have evolved intelligent forms, but little chance of any communication. Frustrating, ‘cos right now we could do with a bit of help.