Ever since early humans began gazing up at the stars, mankind has continued to wonder and question how we came to be and if we are alone. Some of the greatest minds have studied and explored the universe such as, Galileo, Newton, Copernicus, Kepler, and Einstein but yet there is still so much we do not know. As time has passed new discoveries have been made. Technology has continued to advance and history continues to be made each day.

Recently organizations such as NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) have began conducting tests on deep space telescopes that are capable of detecting and studying far away solar systems. These telescopes, although very expensive, will help the world in its quest to find life on other planets. A successor to NASA’s famous Hubble Space Telescope and soon to be launched. James Webb Space Telescope is already in the planning stages by a group of leading astronomers.

The proposed High Definition Space Telescope, or HDST, will have 25 times the resolution of Hubble and will serve as a “flagship observatory” for the global astronomical community. One of its primary scientific objectives will be to study the atmospheres of dozens of Earth-like alien planets, looking for signs of life. This project will be ready for launch sometime in the 2030’s.

In addition, scientists last year detected a signal from deep in space that comes from the area of a young star, HD 164595, which is 94 light years from Earth. It has sparked a worldwide speculation this year about an advanced alien civilization that may be attempting contact with any other “life” in the universe. If this proves to be true then it will be one step closer to finding life elsewhere in the universe. “The signal from HD 164595 is intriguing, because it comes from the vicinity of a sun-like star, and if it’s artificial, it’s strength is great enough that it was clearly made by a civilization with capabilities beyond those of humankind,” astronomer Douglas Vakoch, president of METI International, told reporters.

Since the 1940’s the search for extraterrestrial life has continued to show some signs of activity beyond our planet. Although we believe we are using the correct tools to find ET life, we may be using them wrong. According to the Kardashev scale, there are two types of civilization classes. Presently, our own species is somewhere near Type I on the scale. Our civilization is able to harness all the energy available to it on its own planet, including solar, wind, earthquakes, and other fuels. A Type II civilization would be able to harness the entirety of the energy emitted by its star, billions of billions of watts of electricity. Thus, they would be capable of creating more advanced technology to communicate with other “life” in the universe.

Doing so would require a colossal undertaking, likely the construction of some type of superstructure, such as a giant sphere or swarm of super-advanced solar panels that could catch and store all radiation put out by the sun. Scientists believe superstructures are probably our best chance of detecting alien life unless they are actively trying to communicate with us.

For now astronomers around the world will continue to study stars and distant solar systems using the latest technology available. Infrared, X-Ray, and Radio telescopes will continue to search and listen for signs of ET life elsewhere in the universe.