German scientists - Dr. Rene Heller and Professor Ralph Pudritz - have figured out how to speed up a large-scale project by Russian Internet entrepreneur Yuri Milner, aimed at finding signals from aliens.
As part of a project called Breakthrough Listen (literally - Breakthrough in listening), Milner rents the largest radio telescopes, pays for the creation of new technology, the work of astronomers. As a result, the equipment to be used will become 50 times more sensitive and faster than the previous one. This will allow listening to our galaxy and 100 more neighboring ones. More than a million star systems in total.
“You don’t need so much,” the Germans assure, developing their idea in the Astrobiology magazine. Its essence is as follows: we are looking for planets near other stars with the help of orbiting telescopes - such as astronomers have guessed how to look for extraterrestrials by the example of NASA's Kepler telescope. He finds them through the so-called transit method. That is, it monitors whether the brightness of the star changes from time to time. And it changes when planets pass along the disk of the star. Astronomers determine their presence by fluctuations in brightness. And brothers in mind are likely to act the same way.
Heller and Pudrits believe: the transit method allows aliens to discover our Earth and understand that it is in the habitable zone. After all, we have already found several planets suitable for life in a similar way. Why can't “they”?
The Germans figured out where the brothers in mind would probably see how the Earth passes over the disk of the Sun. They counted about 10 thousand stars, distant no more than 3 thousand light years. It was there that they proposed to aim radio telescopes and other equipment that will be involved in Milner's project. Because there is a high probability that aliens, seeing our comfortable planet, will think that it is inhabited, and will send some kind of signal. If the news comes from the direction of the thousand stars that is closest to us, then it will be possible to catch even a very weak signal - equivalent in power to the radiation of an aircraft radar.
Our planet has long been suitable for life - several hundred million years. Another question: when could this be revealed to aliens? Yes, at any time. After all, it is possible that they have already signaled. And we did not know - they were sitting in the caves. Or brothers in mind themselves until they got down from the trees? Then you have to wait until they come to their senses.
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In a word, there are not many hopes for contact. Although the idea of Heller and Pudritsa really narrows the search for its potential participants. And it makes the process itself more logical.
WHAT ELSE CAN THE BROTHERS IN MIND SEE
The lights of our cities
Earth scientists assure: it is quite possible to detect the lights of large alien cities. That is, to recognize artificial light. Even no supernatural technique is required here. The current earthly will be enough. Although powerful orbiting telescopes of the new generation, which are about to "take over the space watch", of course, can work more efficiently. These are James Webb Space Telescope and Giant Magellan Telescope.
Astronomers explain that the search for light emitted by alien metropolises is based on a simple fact: the brightness of an object with artificial lighting decreases backwards. The lights of our cities are far visible … proportional to the square of the distance. And if it is illuminated only by a third-party source - for example, by a nearby star, then the brightness decreases in inverse proportion to the distance to the fourth power. It seems that this difference can be caught by comparing images of the night and day sides of exoplanets.
So what? Alien scientists will not come up with a similar method? Easy.
Environmental pollution
Earthlings also betray their presence by "chemistry" - for example, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) - substances of exclusively artificial origin. They intensively absorb infrared rays in the spectrum and, therefore, are distinguishable in the atmosphere. Even if the CFC concentration is one part per trillion.
Lisa Kaltenegger from Harvard University suggests looking for chlorofluorocarbons, and together with them brothers in mind who produce this "chemistry". And also hopes for new orbiting infrared telescopes. And brothers in mind, respectively, will be able to recognize in us advanced beings in chemistry.
Jim Casting of Pennsylvania State University is confident that with a fleet of suitable telescopes in near space, other nasty things can be found. Such as vapors from solvents, cleaners and refrigerants. And they have their own absorption lines.
I wonder who will be the first to find what they are looking for - are we theirs or they are us?