We Could Find Aliens by Spotting Their Satellites
[space.com]
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I thought I had some respect for Space.Com. Now I'm not sure why. Consider this paragraph:
"Alien civilizations with technology on a par with humanity's could be detectable using today's instruments. A new study suggests that if geostationary satellites are thick enough around an alien world, they could be spotted with telescopes already hunting for undiscovered planets."
It contradicts itself. It says if geostationary satellites were thick [numerous] enough, they'd be detectable by technology comparable to our own. First off, I don't think that's true, even if there were so many geostationary satellites that Earth looked like Saturn. Second, it starts out suggesting our satellites would be detectable now but then says "if the satellites were thick enough". For a number of reasons I won't bore you with, there will never be that many satellites in orbit around Earth.
I continue to think the best chance there is to connect to extrasolar civilizations is with directed radio signals. Consider SETI. What if everyone is listening but no one is saying anything? Despite it being a favorite vehicle of scifi, commercial radio signals are not strong enough to reach even the nearest star systems detectable.
FreeDave
Level 6
May 1, 2018
1
We just don't know. But will continue to look because we won't to know.
factorbelief
Level 6
Apr 30, 2018
3
Who knows if Aliens might be as small as an insect...perhaps the size of bacteria. They could be here now...maybe they gave you a cold this past winter.
nicknotes
Level 8
Apr 30, 2018
4
That may be the only aliens we ever find on other worlds, if any are to be found at all. When we speak of finding signs of life on Mars, or the moons of Jupiter or Saturn, nobody expects anything much more complicated than that.
Would brains work on that svale though? Seems there'd be a size minimum
@Blindbird Size is relative. Look how the digital age has miniaturized so many electronic things.
There are some established norms in biology. The laws of physics shape what is possible for life in a variety of ranges of size and complexity.
A lot would depend on the physical conditions of the planet from which they came.@OldDave
There is no way to see a satellite on another planet. We can only know that other planets exist through them passing in front of stars. We cannot image those planets directly, but only speculate on their composition.
chazwin
Level 6
Apr 30, 2018
4
That's exactly what they're doing. If there's a ring around a planet then that ring starts block a really small amount of light from the star slightly before the planet itself starts to block a bit more but still quiet small amount of light from the star. Then the opposite happens at the other side of the transit. The article is about how full a planet's geostationary orbit would have to be to detect it with this method.
@MattHardy & the new satellites being readied for launch are even more precise, with greater discernment. Guaranteed to find more planets & moons & well, we'll see!
@phxbillcee Space.com is a comic book. The article is absurd.
@chazwin A comic book that cites its sources. Lets go to the source that they are reporting on a paper published in the peer reviewed astrophysical journal [arxiv.org] - I empathise with many common criticisms of science reporting but do you have a criticism of the actual research and conclusions?
That sounds good, but right now we are only detecting relatively large planets by measuring fluctuations in light from the stars they orbit. We don't even actually see the planet much less rings of material in orbit around them.
JimG
Level 8
Apr 30, 2018
3
In time...
JimG:
@ashortbeauty the article said with our current technology though.
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