Unveiling the Cosmic Archive: Hunting for Advanced Alien Civilizations

[Rorisang]

Light's Time Travel: When we gaze at distant stars and exoplanets, we're essentially looking back in time. This is because light, though incredibly fast, still takes time to travel across the vast cosmic distances. So, when we observe a star or planet thousands of light-years away, we're peering into its past.

The Cosmic Archive: Imagine the universe as a cosmic library filled with planets and stars, each with its own story to tell. We, as astronomers, are like cosmic historians, deciphering these stories. The light we receive from these far-off celestial objects is like ancient texts, waiting to be decoded.

Cosmic Archaeology: As technology advances, our cosmic archaeological tools become more sophisticated. Telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope and observatories on Earth are designed to capture ever-clearer glimpses of the past, offering us windows into distant worlds.

Searching for Signs of Life: The study of exoplanets has become a major part of the quest. The hunting for habitable zones and biosignatures—chemical or physical markers that could suggest the presence of life. The discovery of even simple life forms would be groundbreaking.

The Fermi Paradox: Here's where things get truly intriguing. The universe is incredibly vast, with billions of potentially habitable planets. So, where are all the advanced civilizations? The Fermi Paradox raises this puzzling question. Various theories, like the Great Filter hypothesis, speculate on why we haven't encountered extraterrestrial civilizations yet.

Cosmic Time Capsules: It's akin to opening a time capsule buried by ancient cultures, except this time, the capsule is the universe itself, and the messages are in the form of light, cosmic radio waves, and more. As our technology evolves, we're developing tools to read these cosmic messages.

The Promise of Contact: As our understanding of the universe deepens, the prospect of contact with advanced civilizations becomes more tantalizing. Perhaps one day, our instruments will pick up signals from civilizations that thrived millennia ago, like echoes from the distant past. What's your take on this?

 

[Gibsense]

The Promise of Contact: As our understanding of the universe deepens, the prospect of contact with advanced civilizations becomes more tantalizing. Perhaps one day, our instruments will pick up signals from civilizations that thrived millennia ago, like echoes from the distant past. What's your take on this?

"They" are hiding.

Some stars and systems became old before ours were born. Survivors must have become overwhelmingly powerful by our criteria. So much to become a threat to neighbours. Do not expect to spot any competitive civilisation anytime soon. Or anytime before we are wiped, maybe

 

[stanwaterman]

"They" are hiding.

Some stars and systems became old before ours were born. Survivors must have become overwhelmingly powerful by our criteria. So much to become a threat to neighbours. Do not expect to spot any competitive civilisation anytime soon. Or anytime before we are wiped, maybe

We have no idea how long 'intelligent' species last or how powerful they get, whatever that means. Why would a 'powerful' species attack it's neighbours, several light years away and how could they? Such an undertaking is not only technically nearly impossible, it's also silly and pointless, so how advanced are they? The reason we have not yet seen signals from other planets is because time and space are vast. Over the last billion years many civilisations may have come and gone across our galaxy and sent out signals but the chance of two being close in time and space is remote. Sad but true!

 

[Gibsense]

We have no idea how long 'intelligent' species last or how powerful they get, whatever that means. Why would a 'powerful' species attack it's neighbours, several light years away and how could they? Such an undertaking is not only technically nearly impossible, it's also silly and pointless, so how advanced are they? The reason we have not yet seen signals from other planets is because time and space are vast. Over the last billion years many civilisations may have come and gone across our galaxy and sent out signals but the chance of two being close in time and space is remote. Sad but true!

An AI can happily avoid caring about how long it might take to travel a few light-years. But apart from that, an AI does not have to travel physically as an animal might have to. It can transfer its consciousness/ability at the speed of light once a physical receiver is near its objective.

Apart from that, once a location has been achieved Alien instructions can seek some biology and adapt it. It could Replicate the original Alien. So an Alien civilisation could grow within 20 years at a new location. It would be especially feasible if we corrected the assumption that if something is 10 light years away it could take 10 years + to transfer physically. This ignores the physics of Relativity.

Technically it is possible to transfer at any time interval (impractical due to the amount of energy required and cosmic dust etc) but certainly relatively quickly (Time and distance dilation).

So, we have civilisations competing for resources. Competition. Removal of the Comfort Blanket. It is highly likely (IMHO) that such activity has been or still is occurring in our vicinity. Our general advertising that there is a nice planet here by spewing radio waves out to space and other detritus guarantees it at some point. But maybe there is some galactic Authority controlling interactions. let's hope so.

 

[Gibsense]

PS It will soon be within our ability to achieve a transfer to new planets. Perhaps that is why we are closely watched

 

[Catastrophe]

Of course, the Drake Equation covers this, the relevant conditions being:
1 fraction of planets with life where life develops intelligence
2 fraction of intelligent civilizations that develop communication
3 mean length of time that civilizations can communicate

The distance of any such civilisations determines how long before their signals reach us, and 3 then determines over what period the signals persist.
This assumes the signals are broadcast 100% of the length of their civilisations. It is also assumed that their signals would be intelligible to us.
Expansion of the Universe might mean that the signals do not have time to reach us.

All in all, also bearing in mind the short time we have had radio etc., it is not at all surprising that we have recognised any such signals. That is even if such hypothetical civilisations broadcast them in our direction - or were even able to, if such collisions did not destroy them.

Cat

 

[Gibsense]

It is also assumed that their signals would be intelligible to us.


Cat

I read somewhere recently that a group (reasonably large) of Scientists had reviewed the criteria necessary to suggest an intelligent civilisation had been identified.
They decided "Dyson Sphere," I think it was, was the best identifier. This object is a construction in space around a star to capture its energy.
Over months they gradually eliminated thousands of possible contenders. The basic idea was that such a construction would emit radiation in the infrared (at a particular wavelength that is not generated by stars - my memory)
They ended up with 7 Dyson Sphere contenders

 

[Catastrophe]

Astronomers have found 60 possible candidates stars, after searching through millions of stars for signs of Dyson spheres. The 60 candidate stars range from red dwarfs to larger stars including sun-like stars, up to 6,500 light-years away. All show excesses of infrared heat that, so far, scientists haven't explained.45 mins ago

Astronomers find 60 Dyson sphere candidates, among .​

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=exoplanet+dyson+spheres+detected&sca_esv=1cbe4b6585e2caa3&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWIIh2tc5IW5H2dSanbGISiNor429XA:1715795089912&source=hp&ei=kfREZr_GNbeuhbIP_7CEuAI&iflsig=AL9hbdgAAAAAZkUCoWkhT_8gCIVEZ7QE7KBA92IzRK9E&ved=0ahUKEwj_0tvmmpCGAxU3V0EAHX8YAScQ4dUDCBc&uact=5&oq=exoplanet+dyson+spheres+detected&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6IiBleG9wbGFuZXQgZHlzb24gc3BoZXJlcyBkZXRlY3RlZDIFECEYoAFIjqsBUABY3ZkBcAB4AJABAJgB_gSgAZwwqgEMMi4xNy4zLjMuMy4xuAEDyAEA-AEBmAIdoAKRMcICChAjGIAEGCcYigXCAhAQLhiABBjHARgnGIoFGK8BwgILEAAYgAQYkQIYigXCAhcQLhiABBiRAhixAxjRAxiDARjHARiKBcICCxAuGIAEGLEDGIMBwgIREC4YgAQYsQMY0QMYgwEYxwHCAgsQABiABBixAxiDAcICChAAGIAEGEMYigXCAgoQLhiABBhDGIoFwgIOEAAYgAQYsQMYgwEYigXCAgUQABiABMICERAAGIAEGJECGLEDGIMBGIoFwgINEAAYgAQYsQMYQxiKBcICDRAuGIAEGLEDGEMYigXCAgUQLhiABMICCBAAGBYYHhgPwgILEAAYgAQYhgMYigXCAggQABiABBiiBMICBRAhGJ8FwgIHECEYoAEYCpgDAJIHDDIuMTcuMy4zLjMuMaAHo4cB&sclient=gws-wiz#
Did we just detect Dyson spheres?
YouTube· EarthSky
...Around this star is a Dyson Sphere. They used to be the realm of Science Fiction. But scientists have just detected dozens of cases. Where alien civilizations.

Cat