Jupiter is often viewed as a "failed star", so it is not surprising that many futurists and science fiction creators are trying to show and describe in their works and works a process called planetary star formation. This process is indeed possible, according to new research. Moreover, if one day we want to find intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations, we must first of all look for planets, or rather gas giants that have already passed or are in the process of this planetary star formation.
In a forthcoming article from the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, physicist and astrobiologist Milan M. Sirkovic of the Belgrade Astronomical Observatory proposes a completely new approach for the SETI scientists to look for signs of advanced extraterrestrial civilizations. Sirkovich suggests looking for "star-like" objects in planetary systems, as they may bear signs of extraterrestrial astroengineering. The scientist was prompted to this conclusion by the inspiration that came after reading the work of the British physicist Martin J. Fogg, in which he proposes to turn Jupiter into a kind of mini-star.
Those of you who have read Arthur Clarke's classic 2010: The Year of Contact (1982) should be familiar with the concept of planetary star formation. In this novel, alien monoliths transform Jupiter into a small star, which in turn causes Europa (one of the gas giant's satellites) to transform from an icy world into a lush jungle. Seven years after writing this book, Martin Fogg decided to take this very sci-fi concept and turn it into real science. In his 1989 paper, Jupiter's Star Transformation: The First Step to Terraforming the Galilean Moons, Fogg explains how this truly amazing example of astroengineering can actually be realized.
To transform a gas giant into a small star, you can use a laboratory created miniature black hole (frame from the movie "Interstellar")
The idea is to release the gas giant's gravitational energy from a miniature black hole aimed directly at Jupiter's center of mass. Unlike the thermonuclear reaction of our Sun or any other "normal" star, a compact black hole will absorb Jupiter's mass from the inside during accretion, causing a huge amount of energy to be released.
This energy will be repeatedly absorbed and released again, enveloping the entire surface of Jupiter. Once the energy reaches the surface, it will be scattered over the entire area, like any other type of stellar radiation. According to Fogg, if we turn Jupiter into a star in this way, then its Galilean moons will also undergo a transformation process and turn into worlds suitable for habitation. Moreover, around star-formed Jupiter, we can build a kind of compact Dyson shell to capture its energy.
Sirkovich believes that Fogg was thinking in the right direction and that the people of the future will be able to take this concept to an even more advanced level.
Promotional video:
"If there were satellites and other planets near stellar objects - and we have recently found planets near brown dwarfs - then these sites may be much more favorable habitats than it might seem at first glance," comments Sirkovich.
"And since these objects are so numerous, they could also represent excellent 'filling stations' for interstellar travel."
Brown dwarfs are not quite planets, but not quite stars either. Perhaps some of them are the product of advanced astro-engineering projects.
Sirkovich thinks his idea is so good that we should take into account the possibility that advanced aliens are already engaged in such gigantic projects. Sirkovich says that it is quite reasonable to accept the Copernican Principle, that is, the ideas according to which we and the Earth are not special against the background of the common universe and nothing should (cannot) interfere with the emergence and development of life (including advanced civilizations) in others corners of the universe.
Since the publication of Fogg's work, we have learned a lot about black holes and how they work. And although this may sound insane and incredibly dangerous, according to Sirkovich, advanced posthumans or extraterrestrial civilizations will find a way to create miniature black holes, learn to artificially control their growth and even control their movement in space.
Of course, this process of planetary star formation will be extremely dangerous and may not be worth the risks that will certainly accompany it. Any manipulation of black holes - including the smallest ones - will be incredibly dangerous. Sirkovich worries that many factors (including mistakes in creation and ending with a terrorist scenario) can lead to the fact that a miniature black hole could fall on Earth or some other planet inhabited by that time.
“In the final stages of star formation, about 100 million years after the beginning, the transformed into a star Jupiter will be incredibly bright and can become very unstable,” says the scientist.
“This could ultimately call into question the existence of the rest of the solar system, and possibly the system that will be next to it at that time. Solving the issue will require the implementation of other astro-engineering projects. But, if you think about it, by the time the advanced civilizations that will remain after us find a way to turn the planet into a star, I think they will already be able to solve all the accompanying issues and take into account all possible consequences."
Probably needless to say, how difficult it is to find planets that have passed the star formation process. However, according to Sirkovich, this is still possible.
“Observational astronomy has advanced dramatically in recent decades. And although the search for star-forming objects is a very difficult task, from which side you look, nevertheless, such an opportunity may appear much earlier than we expect."
In the framework of a simple study of the mass and radius of an object, it will be possible to understand which stars are too small for the stars we are familiar with and are familiar with. The peculiarity of their brightness and light output will also speak volumes. In addition, if the alleged star-forming planet is in a binary system, especially in such a binary system where planets are located in the habitable zone of the companion star, then such candidates should be considered first.
The main problem, according to Sirkovich, will be determining whether, in one case or another, the process of planetary star formation is natural or artificial. It is quite possible that we will draw many false conclusions on this score.
“We are so used to looking at the natural processes of stellar evolution that we use the brightness of a star as a determining factor in its radius, age and mass. In the case of the "artificial star" such methods of determination can mislead us, "says the scientist.
In his research, Sirkovich points out that we already have the telescopic technologies needed to search for planetary star formations, so we can start looking at any time. The only obstacle standing in the way of new knowledge is lack of interest or simply laziness. Now the main trend stimulating the search for aliens is the "Dyson" SETI - the search for alien megastructures, like the hypothetical Dyson sphere.
According to Sirkovich, although objects like the mysterious "twinkling star" KIC 8462852 are indeed of great interest to astronomy, it will be extremely difficult to prove that the processes associated with them are the result of the work of advanced extraterrestrial civilizations. Nevertheless, with the further development of our telescopic technology, we will get a better and better understanding of what we are really looking at. And it may turn out that we can see with our own eyes extraterrestrial civilizations at work.
NIKOLAY KHIZHNYAK