Went to the Planetarium the other day to see ‘The alien revolution’ a new exhibition at the Royal Observatory Greenwich ( http://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory/ ). The exhibition looks at our changing views over the centuries about the possibility of life in space. A particularly interesting section was the one dealing with abduction and encounters as it shows how these have been moulded by media. For instance the first couple who claim to be abducted by aliens told a story almost exactly the replica of a science fiction programme that had been on the TV two weeks previously. Similarly many encounters since Speilburg’s ‘ close encounters’ have involved aliens who look like those in the film. There are almost no records of such creatures being reported prior to the film.
Also saw the new Planetarium show ‘we are aliens’ which looks at modern scientific views on extra-terrestrial life (most likely microscopic) in our solar system (favourite site Europa) and else where in the universe including the identification of potential Earth-like planets (exoplanets). Fascinating presentation.
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