“After that it gets complicated. For life on another planet to find its way HERE we need the planet to also have solid surface made of assorted minerals, and the life to survive long enough to crawl out on that solid surface and develop sapience and advanced technology. The planet can’t be too big (Earth is almost too big - not a whole lot larger and it wouldn’t be possible for a chemical rocket to put something in orbit, which kind of crimps plans for going into space) or too small (the important parts of the atmosphere will dissipate before life can get into space).”
In addition, the planet needs an iron core, liquid, to provide a magnetoshere of protection against cosmic and solar radiation. Without that, life on Earth wouldn’t exist. It also needs a planet not subject to massive solar ejections from the sun - a ‘well behaved’ sun - and most aren’t.
As spock might put it - there are very few “M” class planets with oxygen atmospheres, a ‘climate’ and a mild one - liquid water - and the appropriate minerals. Of all the planets in our solar system, only one has survived with ‘life’. Mars liquid core solidified - no protective magnetosphere - atmosphere, if it has one, ripped away by solar winds. Venus? 600F at the surface…
IF, and only if, some civilization invents a ‘warp drive’ if that is even possible, the distances between habitable planets are measured in generations of people. Hundreds or thousands of years. Plus of course, all the matter/anti-matter engines, protective ‘shields’, etc.
Even with warp drive, exploring and finding the one in a billion planet that ‘might’ have life with the right conditions - would take untold extra generations - or ten thousand ships ‘exploring’ the universe…
With everyone now carrying a hand held picture taker…seen any good UFO pics lately? Hmmm… with all the UFO landings, abductions, it makes you wonder.
t.