When we look up into the sky, it is hard not to think about how vast the universe is. Our universe is estimated to contain around 100 billion galaxies with each galaxy having around 100 billion stars. And most of those stars are expected to harbor planets. That is a mind-boggling number of stars and possible planets. This leads inevitably to questions about whether there is life on planets orbiting those distant specks of light. If so, what might it look like? Are there alien civilizations out there with intelligence and technology similar to or even more advanced than our own? If so, can we communicate with them? These are not dry academic questions but have tremendous philosophical and theological implications.
In the last 60 years, there has been a tremendous surge in popular belief about life residing on planets outside our solar system. This idea has been widely promoted in society, including in books and movies, but is it actually true? What does the science actually say? While it is currently impossible to either prove or disprove the existence of extraterrestrial life, much research has been done making it possible to make informed conclusions. The following articles tackle this complex subject.