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Ask Slashdot: How Could We Actually Detect an Alien Invasion From Outer Space?
First time accepted submitter defiant.challenged writes As I was watching another sci-fi blockbuster about aliens wanting to harvest the life stock population on earth for their energy since we are such a robust species, I was wondering how likely and easy/difficult it would be currently to actually detect an outer space invasion (fleet). I am a firm believer that if we would be invaded, we would not stand a chance and would probably not even hit a single ship when it comes to fighting them. The aliens in the movie had the capability to space-jump right into our solar system and even very close to earth. My question is how good are we at the moment in detecting an alien ship/fleet that jumps into our solar system. Do we have radio dishes around the globe such that we can detect objects in space in all longitude and latitude degrees? I know we have dishes pointing to the skies but how far can they reach? Do we have blindspots perhaps on the poles? I also wonder if our current means, ie radio signals, are relatively easy to be compromised with our current stealth technology? To formulate it in more sci-fi terms, how large is our outer space detection grid, and what kind of time window can they give us?
Email Elon, see what he thinks.
If Sony knows, then North Korea will be the first to know!
And if that Chinese family serves you Peking Duck what would you then conclude?
By the same logic, there's also a room of moneys with typewriters somewhere turning out all the great books
Thanks to the Internet, we now know that's not true.
...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
Nice try advanced scout party. You slipped through but I doubt the armada will fair as well.
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Sanity is the trademark of a weak mind. -- Mark Harrold
"I am quite sure that if you went back 500 years and took modern technology with you, it would look quite "godlike" to those people."
Don't behead me until your sailors have seen this! A little box, which I carry around with me everywhere, that knows its own position to within mere feet! All I do is press this button, tap right here, and --
Oh, wait --