Aliens could be STRANDED on own planets because gravity is TOO strong

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Aliens could be STRANDED on own planets because gravity is TOO strong

ALIENS may not be able to conquer space travel as the gravity on their home planet may be too strong for them to escape from, according to a new theory which could explain why we are yet to meet extraterrestrials.

By SEAN MARTIN

PUBLISHED: 16:16, Tue, Apr 24, 2018UPDATED: 16:2

For humans on Earth, it is relatively easy to get in to space as the gravitational pull of our planet is not too strong.

However, on super-Earths – planets which are similar to ours but much bigger – the gravitational pull would be much stronger, making it harder to escape.

Michael Hippke, an independent researcher affiliated with the Sonneberg Observatory in Germany, told Space.com: "On more-massive planets, spaceflight would be exponentially more expensive.

"Such civilisations would not have satellite TV, a moon mission or a Hubble Space Telescope."

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NASA

An example of a super-Earth next to Earth

Planets around other stars with similar conditions to Earth can be up to 10 times the mass of our own.

NASA has previously discovered that these super-Earths could, if they are in a habitable zone around their star, be extremely well suited to supporting life as the strong gravitational pull could pull in a thick atmosphere that would protect any life on the planet from harsh cosmic rays.

But it would be hard for an intelligent civilisation on these planets to launch rockets as the gravitational pull would make it nigh on impossible.

Mr Hippke said: "I am surprised to see how close we as humans are to end up on a planet which is still reasonably lightweight to conduct spaceflight.

NASA's plan to communicate with ALIENS

Voyager 1 was launched by NASA on September 5, 1977

NASA

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Alien spacecrafts may find it difficult to leave their planet

"Other civilisations, if they exist, might not be as lucky.

“Civilisations from super-Earths are much less likely to explore the stars.

"Instead, they would be to some extent arrested on their home planet and, for example, make more use of lasers or radio telescopes for interstellar communication instead of sending probes or spaceships