What are extraterrestrial civilizations?

Extraterrestrial civilizations are like neighbors who live far away, but also know how to send letters and maybe even visit.

Imagine you have a best friend who lives across town, but sometimes they come over for dinner or bring you a gift. That’s kind of what extraterrestrial civilizations are, people (or beings) who live on other planets, and might be able to talk to us through space messages or even travel here.

Think about your school, it has many classes, each with different kids. The Earth is like one class in a huge school of planets. Other classes are in the same solar system, or even in other parts of the galaxy. Some might have people just like us, or maybe creatures that look and act completely differently, but they still live together in their own special way.

Sometimes, we send messages to them using radio signals, like how you use your walkie-talkie with a friend across the playground. We don’t know yet if anyone has answered, but it’s exciting to think that somewhere out there, someone might be listening!