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Would We See the Aliens Coming?
universetoday.com ^ | on June 1, 2015 | Fraser Cain

Posted on 06/01/2015 9:39:58 AM PDT by BenLurkin

A basic rule of the Universe is that you can’t go faster than the speed of light. So I’m going to have any aliens trying to attack us traveling at sublight speeds.

So, we’ll say they’ve got access to a giant mountain of power. They can afford to travel at 10% the speed of light, which means before they get to us, they have to slow down. At this speed, deceleration is expensive. We’d see the energy signature from their brakes long before they even reached Earth.

Let’s say they’re passing the orbit of the dwarf planet Pluto, which is 4 light-hours away. Since they’re travelling at 10% the speed of light, we’d have about 40 hours to scramble jet fighters, get those tanks out onto the streets and round up Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bruce Willis to hide behind.

...

We’re actually pretty good at detecting heat with our infrared telescopes.

A space drive decelerating a city-sized alien spacecraft from a significant portion of the speed of light would shed a mountain of heat, and that’s all heat we might detect.

...

If aliens wanted to catch us off guard, they can use one of the oldest tricks in the aerial combat book, known as the Dicta Boelcke. They can fly at us using the Sun as camouflage. A rather large portion of the sky is completely obscured by that glowing ball of fiery plasma.

...

Astronomers often discover asteroids skimming by the Earth just after they’ve just gone past. That’s because they hurl at us from the Sun, just like clever aliens.

To spot those asteroids, we’ll need to deploy a space-based sky survey that can watch the heavens from a different perspective than Earth. Plans for this kind of mission are actually in the works.

(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy
KEYWORDS:
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1 posted on 06/01/2015 9:39:59 AM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin
dora the explorer illegal photo: Dora dora.jpg
2 posted on 06/01/2015 9:41:47 AM PDT by golux
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To: BenLurkin

But if they can fold space, we’re screwed.


3 posted on 06/01/2015 9:42:34 AM PDT by RandallFlagg ("When you have to shoot, SHOOT! Don't talk." --Tuco)
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To: golux

4 posted on 06/01/2015 9:43:21 AM PDT by Carpe Cerevisi
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To: RandallFlagg

It’s not just folding space, but making origami designs out of it.


5 posted on 06/01/2015 9:44:24 AM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: BenLurkin

Nobody noticed me when I arrived.


6 posted on 06/01/2015 9:46:34 AM PDT by cripplecreek ("For by wise guidance you can wage your war")
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To: BenLurkin

My take: Trying to predict their technology and capabilities is like a man from 2000 years ago trying to predict ours.

Or a man today trying to predict our capabilities and technology 100 years ago.

If such an encounter with aliens happened, I believe it would be WORSE than Noah and his family vs the modern and latest US miliary. Much worse.

It always cracks me up in movies where space aliens fighting us don’t know where every single person on the planet is and what their defensive capabilities are. They will. Resistance will be utterly futile, if they are hostile.

It’s so obvious it hurts to think about it.


7 posted on 06/01/2015 9:46:49 AM PDT by cuban leaf (The US will not survive the obama presidency. The world may not either.)
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To: BenLurkin

8 posted on 06/01/2015 9:49:00 AM PDT by PROCON (CRUZing into 2016 with Ted.)
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To: BenLurkin

The universe itself can and does expand faster that the SOL without breaking Einstein’s law. Reasonable to think beings, at a million years ahead of us, a brainiac society, can’t manipulate the cosmos enough to speed across the galaxy instantly from point to point using wormholes or surfing via the alcubierri effect without physically approaching the SOL


9 posted on 06/01/2015 9:49:55 AM PDT by Vaquero ( Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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To: cripplecreek

Hope you did not arrive in Baltimore. Have you found intelligent life on earth yet?


10 posted on 06/01/2015 9:50:28 AM PDT by The_Media_never_lie (The media must be defeated any way it can be done.)
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To: BenLurkin

11 posted on 06/01/2015 9:50:34 AM PDT by TheDon (BO must be replaced immediately for the good of the nation and the world!)
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To: cuban leaf

I believe they are already here. They occupy the bodies of democrats ... cause as the democrats like to point out and have heard them say so numerous times ... ‘resistance is futile’


12 posted on 06/01/2015 9:51:12 AM PDT by no-to-illegals (Do what is Right ... Take This Freepathon Over the Top!!!)
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To: BenLurkin

If aliens wanted to catch us off guard, they can use one of the oldest tricks in the aerial combat book, known as the Dicta Boelcke. They can fly at us using the Sun as camouflage. A rather large portion of the sky is completely obscured by that glowing ball of fiery plasma.


For crying out loud, it was a common tactic for fighter aircraft during the first and second World Wars.

There are so many ways for aliens to skin this cat it’s comical that anyone would think they would actually allow us to know they were there before they were good and ready for us to know, assuming they were hostile.


13 posted on 06/01/2015 9:51:44 AM PDT by cuban leaf (The US will not survive the obama presidency. The world may not either.)
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To: cuban leaf

100 years ago = 100 years from now.


14 posted on 06/01/2015 9:52:27 AM PDT by cuban leaf (The US will not survive the obama presidency. The world may not either.)
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To: BenLurkin

Space is big. We cannot see big rocks that swing by. I understand that the energy needed to slow down would be visible.

But perhaps their reconnoitering has them coming in from the far side of the sun.

I imagine they will be sneaky little bastards.


15 posted on 06/01/2015 9:54:05 AM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: BenLurkin

If they want to be greeted with open arms and get instant citizenship, all they have to do is telegraph 0bama that they will vote democrat.


16 posted on 06/01/2015 9:58:10 AM PDT by I want the USA back (Media: completely irresponsible. Complicit in the destruction of this country.)
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To: BenLurkin

“To Serve Man.”


17 posted on 06/01/2015 9:58:54 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: cuban leaf

There has never really been an instance of the society with worse technology NOT getting screwed.


18 posted on 06/01/2015 10:02:48 AM PDT by RedStateRocker (Nuke Mecca, deport all illegal aliens, abolish the IRS, DEA and ATF.)
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To: cuban leaf
"100 years ago = 100 years from now."

If that's true, then we are right in the middle of it, which would be right now.
Um, I think I just blew my own mind there....

19 posted on 06/01/2015 10:04:43 AM PDT by Psalm 73 ("Gentlemen, you can't fight in here - this is the War Room".)
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To: BenLurkin
A basic rule of the Universe is that you can’t go faster than the speed of light.

It's not just a rule, it's the law. Congress should never have passed it.

20 posted on 06/01/2015 10:05:20 AM PDT by Billthedrill
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