Hamilton (ECN) - It seems that everyone has a different belief when it comes to answering the question, are we alone in the universe? NASA is launching the Kepler telescope to try and answer that question. The Kepler telescope is looking for another Earth among the stars and will attempt to do that by measuring the brightness of stars.
It will be able to detect blinks in brightness when a planet passes in front of its star. This NASA mission will have other benefits as well, our knowledge about the universe will change because we will become aware of the types of planets that actually exist around different stars and that information will revolutionize the field of astronomy.
Other forms of intelligent life in the universe have been on the minds of scientists, as well as individuals all over the world for centuries. Other life forms have been written about and described in detail using the imagination found in the human mind.
If we are capable of imaging other intelligent life forms, then are we alone? Imagination does play a role in reality in some way. In order to believe that other intelligent life exists, it must be rationally confirmed or we say it is false and life is our exclusive; other intelligent forms do not exist.
The Kepler telescope will be searching for Earth-type neighbors for at least three years, maybe more.
We already know that the galaxy is literally filled with planets, so the odds are better than good that it will discover what Star trek has been preparing us for, over the last thirty plus years. Or has it been our imagination that has been preparing us for this wonderful event of connection? Our beliefs do create our reality; it looks like another reality may be ready to make itself known and then perhaps the question will be, are they another version of ourselves?
