Some people are sure the universe supports extraterrestrial life while others remain skeptical, but if it does, this series of planets represents some of the most likely suspects, all showing different but remarkable and key similarities to Earth or other potentially life-supporting conditions.

Created by Futurism, the  infographic below highlights some of the critical features of these eight promising candidates, some similar in size, others in terms of orbital year and still others estimated to have close-to-Earth climate conditions and/or requisite materials to form the building blocks of life.

While they may range from a few dozen to thousands of light years away, there are increasingly promising spaceflight technologies being experimented with that might forever change how we view such currently-unfathomable distances. Even if they are forever out of reach, new astronomical tech may also hold the key to seeing whether these places have ever (or could) be home to other living beings.

The post Found in Space: 8 Exoplanets that Could Host Alien Life first appeared on Gajitz.

Frank R. Paul was an illustrator who was an expert in future speculation in the 1920s and 1930s. His illustrations were so influential as to define the looks of science fiction illustrations for decades to come. In particular, his imagined creatures from other planets illuminated the imaginations of Earthlings.

Taking into account the little knowledge that we had about the other planets in our solar system in that time, Paul dreamed up what alien creatures might look like.

Creatures from Mercury (pictured at top of the page) would be insect-like thanks to their close proximity to the sun. Jupiter residents would have no legs thanks to the very strong gravity there; rather, they would slither around like enormous slugs.

Strangely, Paul’s imagined creatures from Io, one of Jupiter’s moons, look the most like something you might see on Earth. Decades later, Io would be considered as potentially being able to support life.

We’ve since learned so much more about our solar system that we know these life forms don’t actually exist. Still, Paul’s imagination illustrated for us the vast possibilities that exist out there in space.

The post Frank R. Paul’s Legendary Futuristic Alien Illustrations first appeared on Gajitz.

Most video footage of UFO sightings is blurry, shaky and seems to have been shot from a thousand miles away. But a new video captures some of the strangest, clearest and most incredible UFOs ever seen by the human eye. The video, from Bernard Gigounon, is five minutes of pure, awesome wonder.

Starship by Bernard Gigounon from bernard gigounon on Vimeo.

Of course, the UFOs in the short film aren’t UFOs at all – nor are they really flying. Gigounon takes pictures of ships and buildings, mirrors them and distorts them to create virtual alien spacecraft. The resulting “spacecraft” are truly stunning, even if they are false flying machines. It’s easy to pretend that some of the images, especially those shot at night, really are of UFOs.

The post Close Encounters: Freaky Hovering UFOs Captured on Video first appeared on Gajitz.

Truly awesome case mods are hard to find, but this incredible Alien chestburster is head and shoulders above just about every other PS3 case mod out there. There aren’t many details on how it was built or what materials were used, but chances are good that there was some polymer clay involved. All we know for sure is that it’s completely awesome, and that this PS3 can easily kick the living snot out of any other PS3 out there.

The creator says that this particular chestburster emerged as a cyborg because it absorbed some of the properties of its host. If you were to bring one of these home, you’d definitely want to warn everyone you live with first. We imagine it would be a horrible surprise to walk into the living room an unexpectedly encounter this monster.

The post They Mostly Come Out at Night: Creepy Alien PS3 Case Mod first appeared on Gajitz.

So you’ve been watching sci-fi movies for decades and want to know when we’ll all be able to travel between planets in style. Or you, like us, are eternally dissatisfied with the fact that the oft-foretold jetpacks from 1950s futurists are not yet commercially available. Well, fear not, would-be astronaut: a fellow sci-fi nut has just released patents and plans that will let you build your very own laser-fusion-powered spacecraft. The plans are free, but the craft will cost you about $60,000 to build.

Luke Fortune visited the patent office and found a wealth of information on other UFO-type crafts. He compiled all of it into an ebook that he’s offering for free at his website. What’s really remarkable, though, is the reason he gives for disseminating this information: it’s for the good of the world’s economy. According to Fortune, people who build their own UFOs will be able to cash in on the space tourism trade, begin oil prospecting on Jupiter, operate Moon cruises, and various other space-related industries.

Fortune claims that the next economic expansion will be all about the private sector space race. And since the Exotic Propulsion craft (formerly known as UFOs) can circle the planet in less than an hour, Fortune predicts that world hunger and water shortages will become problems of the past, as will less-than-fresh seafood. Now’s your chance to get in on the action before space pirates catch up and start building their own EPCs.

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