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Are We Being Watched? Tens of Other Worlds Could Spot the Earth (eurekalert.org)
A group of scientists from Queen's University Belfast and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany have turned exoplanet-hunting on its head, in a study that instead looks at how an alien observer might be able to detect Earth using our own methods. From a report: They find that at least nine exoplanets are ideally placed to observe transits of Earth, in a new work published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Thanks to facilities and missions such as SuperWASP and Kepler, we have now discovered thousands of planets orbiting stars other than our Sun, worlds known as 'exoplanets.' The vast majority of these are found when the planets cross in front of their host stars in what are known as 'transits,' which allow astronomers to see light from the host star dim slightly at regular intervals every time the planet passes between us and the distant star. In the new study, the authors reverse this concept and ask, "How would an alien observer see the Solar System?" They identified parts of the distant sky from where various planets in our Solar System could be seen to pass in front of the Sun - so-called 'transit zones' -- concluding that the terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) are actually much more likely to be spotted than the more distant 'Jovian' planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune), despite their much larger size. To look for worlds where civilisations would have the best chance of spotting our Solar System, the astronomers looked for parts of the sky from which more than one planet could be seen crossing the face of the Sun. They found that three planets at most could be observed from anywhere outside of the Solar System, and that not all combinations of three planets are possible.
No, but our ancestors might be.
How often do you try to contact the ants that live in your neighbor's back yard? How often do they try to contact you?
How often do they try to contact you?
Every day.
The majority of life has two suns not one.
The majority of stars are in binary systems, but this does not necessarily mean that the majority of life will be found in such systems.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
So why haven't these other worlds contacted us?
Turn on your TV: Would you want to contact any of those motherfuckers?!
They are looking for worlds that could see us using our current technology. Its an interesting study, but 100 years ago we would have tried (and failed) with a very different technique (direct telescopic examination). 100 years from now we may be using a completely different technology (solar system sized interferometers?, Some new trick to drastically reduce stray light in an image? X-ray telescopes? I have no idea) )
We know nothing about alien technology (if it even exists). It may have followed similar paths to ours, but it might be wildly different.
Considering that we detect planets that transit the parent star, and that we've detected thousands of them, AND that such an occultation is visible ONLY when the Earth is precisely on the plane of that system's ecliptic ... the only viable conclusion must be that planets around other star systems are LITERALLY as "common as dirt". It's likely that there are planets around MOST stars.
John Mulaney has an outstanding story about "What's New Pussycat" and the best dinner he's ever had.
Because the computers have taken over, and they're waiting for our computers. They don't want to talk to the meat.