This is in the
Sci-Fi category but there is nothing fiction about it.
"In Advance of the Landing"
is a photographic documentation of real-life people doing real things
in the real world. It is a fascinating look into the lives and stories of the people
who sincerely believe in the existence of
extra-terrestrial life and have interpreted that life through drawings, models, tableaus and life-styles.
The book, written by
Douglas Curran
with photographs by him as well, examines the lives of everyday people who
have dreamed and constructed their interpretation of what an
extra-terrestrial
might look like, the vehicles they might ride in, the clothes they
might wear and the life-style they may lead. He spent 8 years traveling across
North America in preparation for the book. The documentation is done
with sincerity and no critique nor judgement of these people. The photographs, drawings, etc. are excellent.
From Wikipedia:
"Alien life, such as
microorganisms, has been hypothesized to exist in the
Solar System and throughout the universe. This hypothesis relies on the
vast size and consistent
physical laws of the
observable universe. According to this argument, made by scientists such as
Carl Sagan and
Stephen Hawking, it would be improbable for life
not to exist somewhere other than Earth. This argument is embodied in the
Copernican principle, which states that Earth does not occupy a unique position in the Universe, and the
mediocrity principle, which states that there is nothing special about life on Earth. The
chemistry of life may have begun shortly after the
Big Bang,
13.8 billion years ago, during a habitable epoch when the
universe was only 10–17 million years old. Life may have emerged independently at many places throughout the
universe. Alternatively, life may have formed less frequently, then spread—by
meteoroids, for example—between
habitable planets in a process called
panspermia. In any case,
complex organic molecules may have formed in the
protoplanetary disk of
dust grains surrounding the
Sun before the formation of Earth.
According to these studies, this process may occur outside Earth on
several planets and moons of the Solar System and on planets of other
stars."
The
Unarius Conclave of Light has the model of the
flying saucer used in the film, “
The Arrival”, which was positively received by critics; review aggregate
Rotten Tomatoes
reports that 63% of critics have given the film a positive review based
on 32 reviews, with an average score of 6.3/10, and its consensus
states that "
The Arrival is stylish and inventive and offers a surprisingly smart spin on the alien invasion genre..."
It starred
Charlie Sheen,
Ron Silver. and was directed by
David Twohy.
The science of extraterrestrial life is known as
exobiology. The science of
astrobiology
also considers life on Earth as well, and in the broader astronomical
context. Meteorites that have fallen to Earth have sometimes been
examined for signs of microscopic extraterrestrial life. In 2015,
"remains of
biotic life" were found in 4.1 billion-year-old rocks in
Western Australia, when the
young Earth
was about 400 million years old. According to one of the researchers,
"If life arose relatively quickly on Earth ... then it could be common
in the
universe."
From Wikipedia:
"It is often hypothesized that life forms elsewhere in the universe
would, like life on Earth, be based on carbon chemistry and rely on
liquid water. Life forms based on
ammonia
(rather than water) have been suggested, though this solvent appears
less suitable than water. It is also conceivable that there are forms of
life whose solvent is a liquid
hydrocarbon, such as
methane,
ethane or
propane."
"The
panspermia
hypothesis proposes that life elsewhere in the Solar System may have a
common origin. If extraterrestrial life was found on another body in the
Solar System, it could have originated from Earth just as life on Earth may have been seeded from elsewhere (
exogenesis). The first known mention of the term 'panspermia' was in the writings of the 5th century BC
Greek philosopher
Anaxagoras."
Since the 1950s, scientists have argued the idea that "
habitable zones"
around stars are the most likely places to find life. Numerous
discoveries in these zones since 2007 have generated estimations of
frequencies of Earth-like planets —in terms of composition— numbering in
the many billions though as of 2013, only a small number of planets have been discovered in these zones. Nonetheless, on November 4, 2013, astronomers reported, based on
Kepler space mission data, that there could be as many as 40 billion
Earth-sized planets orbiting in the
habitable zones of
Sun-like stars and
red dwarfs in the
Milky Way, 11 billion of which may be orbiting Sun-like stars. The nearest such planet may be 12 light-years away, according to the scientists. Astrobiologists have also considered a "follow the energy" view of potential habitats.
For more than 20 years,
Vancouver-based photographer Douglas Curran has documented various
beliefs and cultures, from tent preachers to a secret spirit mask
society in Central Africa. When not pursuing his own projects, Curran is
a still photographer for the motion picture industry. More about Curran
and his work can be found on his website.
By Douglas Curran
Foreword by Tom Wolfe
62 illustrations, 28 in full color
144 pages • 10 x 9" • Cloth
ISBN 0-7892-0708-7 • $35.00
It's a remarkable view of life on the edge!
Styrous® ~ Halloween, Saturday, October 31, 2015
