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Bad news for ET |
Kanman
Grand Admiral
Pitch Black
Joined: August 26, 2005
Posts: 1017
From: Virginia, United States
|  Posted: 2008-04-15 19:10
We have bad news for aliens and what might seem like bad news for people, but given that not all aliens would be friendly, this is really good news for people.
Researchers at SETI have run the numbers and discovered that Earth does not have an expanding bubble of radio and television signals as we previously assumed.
It was once thought that since we have been blasting radio and television signals into space for about 50 years, that there would be a bubble 50 lightyears in all directions, expanding at the speed of light, alerting aliens to where we are and what we do.
Researchers did some number crunching and discovered that, like ripples on a pond, the amplitude of the signals deminished as the wave expanded. This meant that eventually it was so much smaller than background noise from stars and supernovae, etc, that it would be undetectable.
How far does it make it before it is undetectable? About 2 light years (half way to the nearest star). Outside that distance from Earth, no one would have any idea we are here. None whatsoever.
Good news, because we are still hidden from any hostile species. Good again, since this means there could be dozens of alien civilizations very near us and we just cant detect their signals.
Bad for SETI, given that they have been listening for about 50 years for alien television which never had any chance of getting here in the first place.
[ This Message was edited by: Kanman *FC* on 2008-04-16 08:58 ]
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Xpli$it
Marshal
Joined: March 06, 2004
Posts: 486
From: Canada
| Posted: 2008-04-15 19:13
We hear you, humans.. We will eviscerate, errr, respond when the time is right
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$yTHe {C?}
Grand Admiral
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: September 29, 2002
Posts: 1292
From: Arlington, VA
| Posted: 2008-04-15 19:32
It took the people at SETI 50 years to read up on the inverse-squared relationship between wave strength and distance? We are so doomed if aliens ever do attack.
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Eledore Massis [R33]
Grand Admiral
Templar Knights
Joined: May 26, 2002
Posts: 2695
From: tsohlacoLocalhost
| Posted: 2008-04-15 19:54
Quote:
| On 2008-04-15 19:32, $yTHe {JedEye} wrote:
It took the people at SETI 50 years to read up on the inverse-squared relationship between wave strength and distance? We are so doomed if aliens ever do attack. |
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I so agree with this one.
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DS Discordion
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Smartin
Grand Admiral
Joined: August 04, 2005
Posts: 1107
From: Michigan
| Posted: 2008-04-15 20:09
Quote:
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On 2008-04-15 19:32, $yTHe {JedEye} wrote:
It took the people at SETI 50 years to read up on the inverse-squared relationship between wave strength and distance? We are so doomed if aliens ever do attack.
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I don't think anyone can put it much better then that.
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DarkSpace Community Website
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Supertrooper
Marshal
Pitch Black
Joined: March 18, 2004
Posts: 1895
From: Maryland, U.S.A
| Posted: 2008-04-15 21:24
Quote:
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On 2008-04-15 19:32, $yTHe {JedEye} wrote:
It took the people at SETI 50 years to read up on the inverse-squared relationship between wave strength and distance? We are so doomed if aliens ever do attack.
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We have Sparta.
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Enterprise
Chief Marshal
Raven Warriors
Joined: May 19, 2002
Posts: 2576
From: Hawthorne, Nevada
| Posted: 2008-04-16 11:52
Quote:
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On 2008-04-15 21:24, Crim {R33} wrote:
Quote:
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On 2008-04-15 19:32, $yTHe {JedEye} wrote:
It took the people at SETI 50 years to read up on the inverse-squared relationship between wave strength and distance? We are so doomed if aliens ever do attack.
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We have Sparta.
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If they were still around we would have realized the inverse-squared relationship between wave strength and distance 50 years ago.
-Ent
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