You're jumping to conclusions. They will probably WANT to illuminate our solar system with a fairly powerful beam with a fairly obvious message. That doesn't necessarily mean they can afford it. It's not unlikely that a message from ETI will be very weak when it reaches us.
"The people at SETI"? Pardon? You mean like "the people at ornithology" or "the people at quantum physics"? SETI is a field of research, not an organization. Maybe you mean the SETI Institute, SERENDIP, META, BETA, The SETI League, or some other particular SETI project?
Arecibo has only been used for intentional broadcasts to other civilizations for less than three minutes. Put that as the "communicating lifetime" in the Drake equation, and you're in for a disappointment.
On the other hand, I think the closest intelligent extra-terrestrials are closer than the other side of the galaxy.
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You're jumping to conclusions. They will probably WANT to illuminate our solar system with a fairly powerful beam with a fairly obvious message. That doesn't necessarily mean they can afford it. It's not unlikely that a message from ETI will be very weak when it reaches us.
Hey, Nostradamus! How do you know the lifetime of technology that isn't dead yet?
That's correct. Government funding of SETI ended in 1993.
"The people at SETI"? Pardon? You mean like "the people at ornithology" or "the people at quantum physics"? SETI is a field of research, not an organization. Maybe you mean the SETI Institute, SERENDIP, META, BETA, The SETI League, or some other particular SETI project?
Yeah, let's all stop using computers. Everything we use them for can be done faster and more efficient next year.
Or... maybe we're missing something, you and I?
Arecibo has only been used for intentional broadcasts to other civilizations for less than three minutes. Put that as the "communicating lifetime" in the Drake equation, and you're in for a disappointment.
On the other hand, I think the closest intelligent extra-terrestrials are closer than the other side of the galaxy.
20 ly is probably correct, if we're talking about TV and radio transmissions. If you mean cold war nuclear missile detection radars, add a zero.