Reminding us how important we are in the scheme of things, this article from the NYTimes gives some perspective:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/science/space/19planets.html?_r=1&hp

Is the galaxy full of orphans? Astronomers said Wednesday that space is littered with hundreds of billions of planets that have been ejected from the planetary systems that gave them birth and either are going their own lonely ways or are only distantly bound to stars at least as 10 times as far away as the Sun is from the Earth.

There are two Jupiter-mass planets for each of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, according to measurements and calculations undertaken by an international group of astronomers led by Takahiro Sumi, of Osaka University in Japan, and reported in the journal Nature.

“It’s a bit of a surprise,” said David Bennett, a Notre Dame astronomer, who was part of the team. Before this research, it was thought that only about 10 or 20 percent of stars harbored Jupiter-mass planets. Now it seems as if the planets outnumber the stars.

I just wonder if any of these 'billions' of planets have conscious life, and how THEY put up with each other.

Only the ego of the human race would allow us to believe that we are alone in that vast universe. But, for all practical purposes, we are!

Maybe the universe wanted to put a lot of distance between us and civilized races?

Is it me, or is it impossible not to be tired of stories about space?

Is it me, or is it impossible not to be tired of stories about space?

Uh...this is a trick question, right?

Uh...this is a trick question, right?

You know what, apparently it was.... for me. Why I worded it like that, I have no idea - obviously blogging while tired is not my best skill!

I meant it's impossible to be tired of space stories. DUH.

I'll just go over here in the corner and be embarrassed now.