Everything with a Big Bang….

                Our Universe maybe mysterious and complex, but the fact remains that its special conditions are just perfect for us. Every force of Nature is finely balanced to support life. Even if one were slightly different, life would not be able to exist. Some of the biggest questions in the Universe are about its shape. Is it curved? Is it flat? Is it open? Well, astronomers do not know for sure, but they say there are different possibilities. Some astronomers think that the Universe is shaped like a balloon. So, if you got a spaceship, and flew far enough in one direction, you would get back to where you started from. This is called a closed Universe, and according to this theory, the Universe will also stop expanding eventually, and start shrinking in an event called the ‘Big Crunch’. There is also the possibility that the Universe is flat, and that it can expand and contract like the skin of a balloon after you cut out a flat piece. If the Universe were flat, it would not have boundaries, and would be an open Universe. Whether it is balloon shaped or flat, the Universe looks straight to us; because it is so huge that we cannot detect its curve.

                You must have seen movies or read books about people from other planets visiting Earth. They are called aliens, and they are generally weird looking. But do aliens actually exist? Life on Earth is carbon based, and required certain conditions to survive. Even so, there are creatures on Earth that seem to be able to survive in harsh environments, where the temperatures are very cold, or where there is little water or oxygen. It is environments like these that are similar to those found on other planets. But, whether some form of primitive life is possible on these planets is still being debated. Scientists are also heartened by the recent explosion of new planets discovered outside our solar system. Some of these planets may have conditions favorable to some form of life… no one really knows. One thing is certain though. If aliens do exist, they will be quite different from ones we see in movies or on TV! They won’t talk to use in English, or any other of our world languages! So, how will scientists communicate with them? Some scientists believe that aliens will communicate with us, in codes that can be easily broken by intelligent being. An effort to communicate with aliens has already been made by our space probes pioneer 10 and pioneer 11. Both carried engraved plaques explaining who had sent them, the whereabouts of Earth, the position of the solar system, and outline drawing of a man and a woman. May be, at sometimes in the future, an alien will discover these plaques, and make an attempt to communicate with us in return!