On Tuesday, 12 July 2022, the first full-colour images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) were released during a televised broadcast from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. At long last we were allowed a mind-boggling glimpse of a sharper image of the universe. The JWST is the largest telescope in space and due to the measurements in the infrared range, we can now perceive stars or even planets which were too distant for the good old Hubble Space Telescope to discover. The images are staggeringly beautiful and awe-inspiring. They immediately stirred a memory in me. As a young boy I used to bury my nose in books about the solar system. I dreamed about our neighbouring planets and what I might find there. While glancing at pictures of the planets, learning their names and order by heart, I used to think “if Pluto is the last planet (in those days Pluto was still classified as a planet), what comes after it?”. Later I learned of other star systems and galaxies and of the theories of more habitable planets. If there are so many stars, so many planets, chances must be high that there is alien intelligent life in the galaxy and that we are not alone. This begs the question: “So, why haven’t we heard from anyone yet?”
This question is known as the Fermi Paradox. About 70 years ago, the physicist and Nobel laureate Enrico Fermi, was discussing aliens with his colleagues over lunch – as one does. His colleagues were convinced that the galaxy was teeming with extraterrestrial life. They argued that as the Milky Way is billions of years old and thousands of light-years across, then it should be possible to colonize the galaxy many times over, even with spaceships reaching merely a fraction of the speed of light. But Mr Fermi retorted, in that case, why haven’t we heard from any intelligent life forms? We haven’t seen hide nor hair of a little green alien. And still to this day we look and listen, but the night sky remains empty and silent.
An excellent science fiction book series which addresses the Fermi Paradox is the “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy by Chinese author Liu Cixin. The first book of the series “The Three Body Problem” was translated into English in 2014 and became the first Asian novel ever to win a Hugo Award for Best Novel. By applying a concept taken from game theory, Mr Liu offers a compelling solution to the Fermi Paradox. You will have to read the second book in the series, “The Dark Forest”, to discover what I mean.
It is a recurring theme in Science Fiction books and movies that, when the human race is confronted with alien intelligent life, hostile or friendly, all the everyday worries of the humans suddenly cease to exist. The bad day at the office, the lost opportunity at winning or the crappy break up. All these things seem trivial when confronted with alien life from a different star system. Suddenly our planet Earth becomes insignificant in the grand theme of things. Maybe the idea that we are not alone in the galaxy might bring comfort. Who knows, the JWST might even provide an answer to the Fermi Paradox sooner rather than later. Stay tuned.
Also, I encourage you to stay tuned for future articles by me. I am a huge fan of Science Fiction in many art forms, but especially books and movies. In coming articles, I plan to introduce or remind you of the many masterpieces out there.
Written by Jesse Lieberman
Picha za kwanza za rangi kutoka kwa James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) zilitolewa mnamo Julai 12, 2022, wakati wa matangazo ya televisheni kutoka Kituo cha Ndege cha Anga cha Goddard cha NASA huko Greenbelt, Maryland. Mwishowe tuliruhusiwa kuona picha kali zaidi ya ulimwengu. JWST ni darubini kubwa zaidi katika anga na kwa sababu ya vipimo katika infrared mbalimbali, tunaweza sasa kutambua nyota au hata sayari ambayo walikuwa mbali sana kwa nzuri ya zamani Hubble Space Telescope kugundua. Picha hizo ni zenye kupendeza sana na zenye kuvutia. Mara moja zilikumbusha jambo fulani. Nilipokuwa mvulana mdogo nilizoea kusoma vitabu kuhusu mfumo wa jua. Niliota kuhusu sayari zetu jirani na kile ambacho ningeweza kupata huko. Nilipokuwa nikitazama picha za sayari, nikijifunza majina na utaratibu wao kwa moyo, nilikuwa nikifikiri <unk>kama Pluto ni sayari ya mwisho (katika siku hizo Pluto bado iliorodheshwa kama sayari), ni nini kinachokuja baada yake?<unk> Baadaye nilijifunza juu ya mifumo mingine ya nyota na magalaksi na juu ya nadharia za sayari zenye kukaribisha zaidi. """Ikiwa kuna nyota nyingi sana, sayari nyingi, uwezekano ni mkubwa kwamba kuna maisha ya kigeni katika galaksi na kwamba hatuko peke yetu." Hii inazusha swali: <unk>Kwa hiyo, kwa nini hatujawahi kusikia kutoka kwa mtu yeyote bado?<unk> Swali hili linajulikana kama Fermi Paradox. Enrico Fermi, mwanafizikia na mshindi wa tuzo ya Nobel, aliwahi kujadili kuhusu viumbe wa nje na wenzake wakati wa chakula cha mchana. Washirika wake walikuwa na hakika kwamba katika galaksi hiyo kulikuwa na viumbe wa nje ya dunia. Kwa sababu ya umri wa mabilioni ya miaka na ukubwa wa maelfu ya miaka ya mwanga, ni lazima iwezekane kuifanya galaksi hiyo kuwa koloni mara nyingi zaidi, hata kwa meli za angani kufikia sehemu ndogo tu ya mwendo wa mwanga. Lakini Mheshimiwa Fermi alijibu, katika kesi hiyo, kwa nini hatujasikia kutoka kwa aina yoyote ya maisha yenye akili? Hatujaona ngozi wala nywele za mgeni mdogo wa kijani kibichi. Na bado hadi leo tunaangalia na kusikiliza, lakini anga la usiku linabaki tupu na kimya. Mfululizo bora wa vitabu vya uwongo vya sayansi ambayo inashughulikia Fermi Paradox ni trilogy ya "Kukumbuka ya Uzee wa Dunia" na mwandishi wa Kichina Liu Cixin. Kitabu cha kwanza cha mfululizo huo, The Three Body Problem, kilitafsiriwa kwa Kiingereza mnamo 2014 na ikawa riwaya ya kwanza ya Asia kushinda tuzo ya Hugo kwa Riwaya Bora. Kwa kutumia dhana iliyochukuliwa kutoka kwa nadharia ya michezo, Bw. Liu hutoa suluhisho lenye kushawishi kwa Tofauti ya Fermi. Utalazimika kusoma kitabu cha pili katika mfululizo huo, <unk>The Dark Forest<unk>, ili ugundue ninamaanisha nini. Ni mandhari ya mara kwa mara katika vitabu vya hadithi za uwongo za sayansi na filamu kwamba, wakati jamii ya kibinadamu inakabiliwa na maisha ya kigeni yenye akili, ya uadui au ya kirafiki, wasiwasi wote wa kila siku wa wanadamu kwa ghafla huacha kuwepo. Siku mbaya ofisini, nafasi iliyopotea ya kushinda au kuvunjika kwa bahati mbaya. Mambo hayo yote yanaonekana kuwa madogo-madogo tunapokabiliwa na uhai wa kigeni kutoka mfumo mwingine wa nyota. Kwa ghafula sayari yetu Dunia inakuwa isiyo na maana katika mandhari kubwa ya mambo. Labda wazo kwamba hatuko peke yetu katika galaksi laweza kuleta faraja. Ni nani anayejua, JWST inaweza hata kutoa jibu kwa Fermi Paradox mapema badala ya baadaye. Endelea kusikiliza. Pia, ninakutia moyo uangalie makala zangu za wakati ujao. Mimi ni shabiki mkubwa wa Sayansi Fiction katika aina nyingi za sanaa, lakini hasa vitabu na filamu. Katika makala zijazo, ninapanga kuanzisha au kukukumbusha juu ya kazi nyingi za kipaji zilizo huko nje. Imeandikwa na Jesse Lieberman