Think we’re alone in this vast universe? Think again.

Those sensational stories about space men building the pyramids and living in Atlantis have been given a new breath of possibility by the revelation that our own Milky Way galaxy could have between 20 billion and 80 billion Earth-like planets that could be capable of life.

And wait. There’s more.

A supercomputer simulation has suggested that the Milky Way itself is only one tadpole in a very full pond. It estimates there could be 500 billion galaxies out there. Which makes between 10,000 billion and 40,000 billion Earths.

Now come on: with all those planets capable of holding water, which is a given for any life form, the chances must be high that other sentient beings are out there.

The research was led by scientists at the University of California who used information obtained by the now-defunct Kepler space telescope that was launched in 2009. They said the next generation of space telescopes could try to take pictures of such planets. Which could be interesting.

Would they first snap shots from orbit and then get closer and take street scenes like on Google? In fact, I’m surprised Google haven’t applied for the contract, seeing as how they have such experience.

Have you been on line and looked down your street? I have.

I should reign in my flights of fancy but the news that there are so many possibilities of life out there does get the old juices of conjecture flowing.

As I said at the start, maybe aliens did land four or five thousand years ago and build pyramids in Egypt and Peru. Perhaps they stopped for rocket repairs and the captain got delayed by the local Cleopatra.

Maybe he built a Sphinx for her using a Black and Decker tool kit.

Was Atlantis, that legendary land of advanced philosophy and science from 9000 BC, really an alien colony? There are UFO followers who believe that to be the case. Check the web; it’s full of them. Then again, there are those who believe the ancient stories about heroes being the sons and daughters of gods: only the gods were actually visiting aliens. Julius Caesar, for instance, claimed his family line descended from Venus (the goddess, not the planet, or maybe it was both).

Others speculate that all the gods of the major religions were either aliens or part alien. One claims the Angel Gabriel was one.

Any extra terrestrial who arrived by space ship and was able to do amazing things with a Black and Decker would have certainly been viewed as godlike. As Arthur C Clarke said: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

Technology is, of course, advancing at a humongous rate. It is progressing like Topsy, so it may not be long before we really do have a Warp Drive to travel to these far distant galaxies and look up the neighbours.

Last week India sent a rocket into space. Why not a Yorkshire space programme?

Captain Sharon Sykes and First Officer Ashley Sidebotham could boldly go where no Tyke has gone before and name new planets they discover.

Thus on Planet Boycott, Ashley could make the natives a cricket pavilion with his Black and Decker and teach them the rudiments of the game, while Sharon could introduce them to Yorkshire puddings.

“Don’t forget, the fat must be smoking hot,” she'll tell them, and they will respond: “Truly, this is the game and the food of the gods.”

“Of course it is, sithee. It’s from Yorkshire.”