Post by auntym on Sept 19, 2012 12:45:43 GMT -6
www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/lord-martin-rees-aliens-ufos_n_1892005.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
Lee Speigel
lee.speigel@huffingtonpost.com
Lord Martin Rees: Aliens Fascinate Everyone, But Only Kooks See UFOs[/color]
Posted: 09/19/2012
Astronomers -- the men and women who study the stars, galaxies and beyond -- have an almost universal agreement that there's nothing of scientific interest when it comes to the subject of UFOs.
In fact, many professionals who gaze into the heavens actually speak about UFO sightings with disdain -- even though countless military officials, heads of state, newsmakers and commercial pilots have said they've seen unidentified flying objects.
"No serious astronomer gives any credence to any of these stories," said Lord Martin Rees, the official U.K. astronomer royal.
lord martin rees pic
(Courtesy of Lucinda Douglas-Martin)
Rees, author of the new book, "From Here To Infinity: A Vision For The Future Of Science," told The Huffington Post that, while "everyone's fascinated by aliens," he's in favor of the ongoing SETI Institute program -- the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
"We should look by all possible techniques," Rees said. "We've no idea what's out there, and so we should look for anything that might seem to be some sort of artifact rather than something natural."
While Rees said he hopes real extraterrestrials will be detected within the next 40 years, he's completely and "utterly unconvinced" that any ETs have been visiting Earth.
"I think most astronomers would dismiss these," Rees said. "I dismiss them because if aliens had made the great effort to traverse interstellar distances to come here, they wouldn't just meet a few well-known cranks, make a few circles in corn fields and go away again."
CONTINUE READING: www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/lord-martin-rees-aliens-ufos_n_1892005.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
Lee Speigel
lee.speigel@huffingtonpost.com
Lord Martin Rees: Aliens Fascinate Everyone, But Only Kooks See UFOs[/color]
Posted: 09/19/2012
Astronomers -- the men and women who study the stars, galaxies and beyond -- have an almost universal agreement that there's nothing of scientific interest when it comes to the subject of UFOs.
In fact, many professionals who gaze into the heavens actually speak about UFO sightings with disdain -- even though countless military officials, heads of state, newsmakers and commercial pilots have said they've seen unidentified flying objects.
"No serious astronomer gives any credence to any of these stories," said Lord Martin Rees, the official U.K. astronomer royal.
lord martin rees pic
(Courtesy of Lucinda Douglas-Martin)
Rees, author of the new book, "From Here To Infinity: A Vision For The Future Of Science," told The Huffington Post that, while "everyone's fascinated by aliens," he's in favor of the ongoing SETI Institute program -- the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
"We should look by all possible techniques," Rees said. "We've no idea what's out there, and so we should look for anything that might seem to be some sort of artifact rather than something natural."
While Rees said he hopes real extraterrestrials will be detected within the next 40 years, he's completely and "utterly unconvinced" that any ETs have been visiting Earth.
"I think most astronomers would dismiss these," Rees said. "I dismiss them because if aliens had made the great effort to traverse interstellar distances to come here, they wouldn't just meet a few well-known cranks, make a few circles in corn fields and go away again."
CONTINUE READING: www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/lord-martin-rees-aliens-ufos_n_1892005.html?utm_hp_ref=tw