u/Own_File_918

There are two trillion galaxies across the ten million galactic superclusters in the observable universe. Among those galaxies, each has approximately a trillion stars, with countless planets orbiting these stars within the same habitable zone that Earth has. And, the universe is tens of billions of years old, meaning that alien life could have emerged at any time prior to us hairless monkeys rising to the top of Earth's food chain.

Statistically speaking, alien life should exist deep in the cosmic dark. Is there any evidence for it?

Would alien life follow the same biomechanics as life on Earth? Since carbon is the foundation of all of Earth's life because of its ability to form stable complex molecules, would they be carbon-based organisms? Or, would they have evolved through means unlike Earth?

Is the habitable zone even necessary when looking for worlds across the grand sea of space to find alien life? Because if not, then this could indicate that Earth's requirements for life are not universal when scouring the stars for extraterrestrials.

As the title says. I notice this sub is all doom and gloom all the time. So, why not bring a little sunshine to this cloudy sky? What is your biggest goal that you want to achieve in your life? It can be anything!

My biggest goal in my life is to become a dad and have a family of my own within the next ten to fifteen years. I may only be 18, but I already have that as my main life goal.

As long as I (18M) could remember, my mom has told me that I have autism, specifically Asperger’s syndrome. She’s told me I have sensory issues, lack spatial awareness, don’t pick up on social cues very well, and I have hyper-fixations that have been the same since I was a kid, and I have a strong thirst to know more about these hyper-fixations. Like, for example; paleontology, video games, astronomy, watching documentaries, learning about wildlife and the outdoors, music, and movie franchises I enjoy. I could be enthralled for hours by these hyper-fixations.

As for my sensory issues, I find auditory stimuli the most dauntingly stressful. Especially when I’m in a mall or a big city where there is a lot of moving parts. I also hate touching, smelling or tasting certain things with a passion. Say, for example, I HATE ketchup. the taste, smell and texture of ketchup, and it is nauseating for me to eat or catch a whiff of ketchup. Tomato sauce is fine, but ketchup isn’t. whoever the hell invented it needs a good slap to the face, lol. I am kind of a germaphobe too. I also live in a pretty big family, and I get overwhelmed with my siblings sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I love them to death, but, it’s always constant chaos.

My dad also has lot of the same issues as me, but I do feel he does a good deal of masking.

I also procrastinate a lot, and get distracted rather easily, although, these two may not be caused by autism directly.

Even teachers in school told my parents in parent-teacher conferences that I have autism. my mom just never wanted the ‘label’ of autism put on me because she thought that would make other folks look down on me. When I went to public school, I found it easier to communicate to students that were neurodivergent.

At one point in time in my life, I used to be extremely socially anxious. Now, I’m no where near as socially anxious because I try to communicate to people. Just a little socially awkward. I gotten more confident because of my height (6’4) and exercising (not anything vigorous, just to keep in shape), and I try to dress nicely whenever I go out. Unfortunately, I still have been socially awkward because I don’t want to make people uncomfortable. I’m taller than a lot of people I see in public, and I don’t want to seem like I’m looming over someone. I also struggle with small talk, and whenever I do, I try to make the conversation about the other person, not me.

I feel like I have to put on a mask when I go out in public sometimes. Like, I gotta be someone I’m not when out in public. And, that, is mentally draining up to the point where if I do it too much, I need to be in a quiet room afterwards to decompress.

Should I get tested for autism by a medical professional? Or, do I just got a few screws loose?

I have an s30 Pro, and I live in central Florida. what are the best Nebulae I can get during May/early summer?