UFOs in the daily Press:

At the heart of the flying saucer mystery

XI. Our colleagues from other planets

Can flying saucers come from other planets? Popular imagination attributes them not only to Mars, but also to the Moon and even Venus. However, according to the latest work in astrophysics, these celestial bodies are not habitable for beings whose bodies are similar to ours. The Moon is a block of cooled rock surrounded by a vacuum. For 14 days, the surface of the Moon is exposed to full sunlight, and for another 14 days, it is turned toward cosmic night. The temperature differences are extreme - from -200°C to -400°C. The holometer - an extremely sensitive device - and radio waves sent by radar allow us to study the Moon’s surface in detail. No trace of life has been detected there.

There is not a single astronomer, no matter how advanced his instruments, who has ever been able to see the surface of Venus, as it is perpetually wrapped in thick layers of clouds. It is believed that this planet is immersed in a dense, warm fog, much like Earth during the Mesozoic era. It is thought to have neither oxygen nor water, and no human could survive there.

At 227,000,000 kilometers from the sun, we find Mars. This planet has a gaseous envelope. There is almost no oxygen. On its surface, large greenish areas can be seen in summer, turning yellow-brown in autumn, suggesting a semi-permanent vegetation of lichens. A base of reddish rocks covers nearly the entire rest of its terrain. A small amount of moisture is indicated by polar caps made of a thin layer of ice. Temperatures at the equator range from -30°C to +30°C but drop as one moves toward the poles. And there is no evidence that the canals admired on its surface are the work of intelligent beings.

Moreover, the most modern telescopes would allow the detection of medium-sized settlements. Still, Mars is the planet that most resembles Earth, and its two satellites are not yet well understood.

The other planets in our solar system present the most varied characteristics. Mercury, the closest celestial body to the Sun, is never visible at night because its orbit is so tight that it never strays far from the Sun. One side is always facing the Sun - a zone of eternal day and extreme heat. The opposite side is plunged into perpetual night and horrible cold. It is difficult to imagine any living beings on this planet, even in the transitional zone where light and shadow alternate.