Posted on 09/14/2017 9:58:48 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
For the last half-century or so, astronomers around the world have been scanning the cosmos with massive radio telescopes in hopes of finding some sign of intelligent life. This network of alien-hunters comprises the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), but despite all their efforts, the interstellar radio waves have remained quiet. One might even say too quiet.
Depending on who you ask, first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization might happen any day now. Seth Shostak, director of the SETI Institute, has famously predicted that we'll hear from ET within the next two decades. Others, such as the Cornell University astronomer Yervant Terzian are less optimistic -- his probabilistic calculations place first contact in about 1,500 years, assuming there's anyone left on Earth to receive the call.
But many SETI astronomers aren't content with only scanning the airwaves for signs of ET. Instead, they think we should also be actively reaching out to the cosmos on behalf of planet Earth.
These astronomers occupy a controversial niche within the SETI community known as Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligences, or METI. At the forefront of this group is Douglas Vakoch, president of METI International, a research group dedicated to designing and sending messages intended for extraterrestrial recipients.
Vakoch and his colleagues at METI International are fighting an uphill battle. Aside from all the technical problems that come with trying to contact aliens, many SETI astronomers think it's a bad idea.
The METI opposition group, which includes scientists like Stephen Hawking, argues that since we have no idea what ET might be like, sending a message into the cosmos comes with a huge existential risk. If the aliens happen to be friendly, no problem. But if they're hostile, that means we're essentially sending out a beacon that says "ATTACK HERE."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnet.com ...
I would prefer someone find intelligent life in Washington D.C. !!
Yup. That's exactly what we're doing.
They won’t have to look far....the aliens are in cities and towns across America....
the ones from Mexico and Central America.
I agree with Hawking. And while you cannot ascribe human motivations to aliens,, why take a chance?
How long until they get amnesty?
“Party at Dave’s. Free beer!”
... may not attract intelligent life but at least anyone that shows won’t be boring.
Carefull, it might be looking for V-GER.
Just because they can, doesn’t mean they should. The aliens they’ll attract likely won’t be cute little fuzzy creatures who wouldn’t harm a fly.
We’re sending a screaming chorus of EM signals into space every minute of every day and have been for longer than any of us have been alive. Everything from top 40 radio to I Love Lucy to military communications to amateur radio to over the horizon radar.
Anybody out there within a hundred-plus light years that monitors the EM bands that we use knows we’re here.
Try the border.
And these are the guys that make fun of God?
BWAHAHAHA!!!!!
"But I am not really willing to accept your premise, because it may well be that the means of communications they have are of a kind that we do not know how to receive, and that they would not have the means of communicating with sufficiently powerful radio or optical signals. That is something which, technologically, is too difficult for them but they would have some other means we would not recognize." -- Thomas J. Gold, 'Communication with Extraterrestial Intelligence' (Sagan, ed)
Oh come on - if there were aliens, they would be on Facebook.
ARE THEY CRAZY?!!!
DID THEY NOT SEE THE MOVIE “BATTLESHIP”?!!!
;-)
why?
The bad news is that since the invention of radio, waves have been going out. Granted, fairly weak waves, but still.
However, when Arecibo was originally brought online, they did a ~10 minute broadcast to a system about 20K LY away, iirc.
The Arecibo managers figured ten minutes was about all the excitement the people there for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and watching a metal antenna broadcast radio waves, could stand without getting bored.
We must all try to have compassion for these aliens, sent here by their home civilizations light years away. They would be here thru no fault of their own...
I’ve seen this movie.
It does not end well......................
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