Slashdot Mirror
Sun's Twin Discovered — the Perfect SETI Target?
astroengine writes "There are 10 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy that are the same size as our sun. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that astronomers have identified a clone to our sun lying only 200 light-years away. Still, it is fascinating to imagine a yellow dwarf that is exactly the same mass, temperature and chemical composition as our nearest star. In a recent paper reporting on observations of the star — called HP 56948 — astronomer Jorge Melendez of the University of San Paulo, Brazil, calls it 'the best solar twin known to date.' Using HP 56948 as a SETI target seems like a logical step, says Melendez."
Wrong, then it makes a good colonization target. Fill the barges with androids and seeds NOW!!1
...if what we were seeing was actually ourselves, just 400 years ago. A wormhole, acting as a mirror...floating at the point they're looking at?
C'mon...you can dream, can't you?
---- Please be nice in case my Slashdot karma ~= my real life karma.
Maybe they could organize an expedition to colonize this fertile planet 70 percent covered with liquid water, only 200 LY away?
If they're advanced enough to do that then they're advanced enough to have detected our planet and its composition long ago. If they wanted to colonize Earth then the plan would have already been put in place and SETI would have nothing to do with it.
So don't worry. It's only a problem if these aliens are for some reason willing to travel 200 light years just to acquire a bunch of slaves. Maybe we should make it clear in our SETI broadcasts that we are very inquisitive creatures, but also lazy and difficult to train?
The enemies of Democracy are
1) Send a message, "Hello, are you out there?"
2) 200 years later..., "Yes we are, is there something we can help you with?"
3) 200 years later..., "Can you give us the secret to faster than light travel?"
4) 200 years later..., "Obviously not."
Total time: 800 years.
<Complete your profile by adding a signature!>
I worry that China is broadcasting the source code for Windows Vista, and 200 years from now some alien civilization will receive it and think they're schematics for something great. They'll build it, nearly destroy themselves and then come looking for us.