40 replies to this topic

[Manoka]

What if aliens are signaling us with stars?! 

 

So, I'm sure most of you have heard the song of "twinkle twinkle litter star", but if what if stars twinkling isn't always as common as we think. Trying to communicate with radar is difficult, as most of the cosmic background radiation is microwave and radar, which is literally where static comes from, and would certainly produce static in interstellar realms, across several light years of empty space; to get past all this, you would need something there isn't a lot of background of, and something EXTREMELY powerful. 

 

Perhaps our most powerful radiation producers, are suns. Easily seen for light years, it would be relatively easy to block the view to other people via properly positioned shields or even planets, which would allow them to signal other alien entities. It would take just as long to communicate, but would be more reliable and allow star systems to send large messages. Drawbacks of course would be that you could only send limited messages for an entire race of aliens so, it could only be used to communicate big things, and it would take several years for it to take effect. If designed to relay the same message constantly for millions of years however, suddenly it starts to make more sense. 

 

 

So, alien life may not be anything producing tons of indecipherable microwave radiation, I.E. white noise, but large scale things, such as "this star system is inhabited" may be done to signal other planets or stars that there's fellow alien life. 

 

It could also ward off attacks, given that inhabited areas with advanced enough species to move PLANETS in the ways of suns regularly probably are not ideal places to try to colonize, be it for moral reasons or just that they're more advanced. 

 

It's any interesting random thought I had. Anyways, yeah!

 

 

Looking for something like this would simply take an irregular pattern to nature occurring in a short amount of time. 

 

While we currently have very little ability to measure other stars, it's an interesting way to look for possibly intelligent life, and may even be the common method used in the universe. Something stars give off, such as certain types of radiation, other than visible light, might be used as well. So, looking at them in broad spectrums could maybe make more sense. 

[HordeLorde]

Thats like asking if mermaids are trying to communicate with us through the seashells that wash up on the beach.

[Manoka]

Thats like asking if mermaids are trying to communicate with us through the seashells that wash up on the beach.

Except that we already know mermaids are real. :?

[ᗅᗺᗷᗅ]

Thats like asking if mermaids are trying to communicate with us through the seashells that wash up on the beach.

 

OMG

[Lord Draculea]

When I read the title of this thread (and before opening it), I was sure it had to be about this... 

[Manoka]

When I read the title of this thread (and before opening it), I was sure it had to be about this... 

This is part of what prompted me, truly, but I was too lazy to source everything xD

[KiWi]

Thats like asking if mermaids are trying to communicate with us through the seashells that wash up on the beach.

Except that we already know mermaids are real. :?
 

I needed that laugh.

[wildbillhkhk]

Starlight based communication is impractical on a stellar scale, and using something to periodically block the light would only send the message in a flat plane, assuming that thing doesnt completly surround the sun and change it's transparency.

[Manoka]

Starlight based communication is impractical on a stellar scale, and using something to periodically block the light would only send the message in a flat plane, assuming that thing doesnt completly surround the sun and change it's transparency.

It would be useful to let people know your place is inhabited, though. Also, you could have something far enoug haway at every anle to not blot out the sun, but still cover most angles until you got really close. Like a few hundred objects moving around. 

[Lord Draculea]

Why do you think It would be useful to let "people" know your place is inhabited?

 

Also, I like the word "people" that you're using. 

[Manoka]

Why do you think It would be useful to let "people" know your place is inhabited?

 

Also, I like the word "people" that you're using. 

Well they're not "humans" they're "people"

 

It would be useful for a number of reasons, just to say hi, to attract other alien life so you can meet intelligent life, or to ward off would be colonists to supposedly empty star systems or attackers who would try to take down a primitive world.

[wildbillhkhk]

It would depend on the situation. It could almost be like a market using spotlights as a makeshift chevron.

[Manoka]

It would be like, basically "hey, we're over here, come talk to us fellow aliens!"

 

Everyone would want to meet a new alien society, even if just for fun. Then you combine that with, trading, culture spread, etc. and it's great to have new allies. 

[Lord Draculea]

If that should ever happen, we would realize that the differences between all human cultures are so insignificant by comparison with what we might find out about those other "people" that it would simply and radically change our perspective forever. To call that a Revolution would be an understatement.

[Alyster]

There's a hole in that wonderful theory. We see the twinkling on the star a lot later than it actually happens. I mean if you'd put out the fire on the Sun Earth wouldn't notice it for 8 minutes. Now think about intergalactic distances and calculate how many years light would have to travel to get to us. 

 

There are parts of the universe from where light hasn't reach to our galaxy yet. It's still on its' way. 

Edited by Alyster, 22 October 2015 - 02:28 AM.

[wildbillhkhk]

There's a hole in that wonderful theory. We see the twinkling on the star a lot later than it actually happens. I mean if you'd put out the fire on the Sun Earth wouldn't notice it for 8 minutes. Now think about intergalactic distances and calculate how many years light would have to travel to get to us.

There are parts of the universe from where light hasn't reach to our galaxy yet. It's still on its' way.

If you want the message to repeat nonstop that might not be so bad.
I came into this topic assuming lightspeed is common knowledge.
And what fire on the Sun?

Edited by wildbillhkhk, 22 October 2015 - 02:39 AM.

[Manoka]

There's a hole in that wonderful theory. We see the twinkling on the star a lot later than it actually happens. I mean if you'd put out the fire on the Sun Earth wouldn't notice it for 8 minutes. Now think about intergalactic distances and calculate how many years light would have to travel to get to us. 

 

There are parts of the universe from where light hasn't reach to our galaxy yet. It's still on its' way. 

The idea is that it would be on a loop for millions, if not billions of years.

[Alyster]

If it's on a loop same star(s) should be twinkling on a loop and we should be able to detect a pattern. Also to broadcast same signal for billions of years the source would have to loop for same amount of time. Otherwise it would be like a letter that is going thru entire class room: you see it now, person B will see it 5 minutes later and 10 minutes later the teacher will take it away from person C. And in adition while person B is reading it persons A and C do not have access to it because they are sitting quite far from each other.  

 

Just because we detect something billions of years later, does not mean it's happening at source for billions of years. 

Edited by Alyster, 22 October 2015 - 05:22 AM.

[Manoka]

If it's on a loop same star(s) should be twinkling on a loop and we should be able to detect a pattern. Also to broadcast same signal for billions of years the source would have to loop for same amount of time. Otherwise it would be like a letter that is going thru entire class room: you see it now, person B will see it 5 minutes later and 10 minutes later the teacher will take it away from person C. And in adition while person B is reading it persons A and C do not have access to it because they are sitting quite far from each other.  

 

Just because we detect something billions of years later, does not mean it's happening at source for billions of years. 

Yes, but it would be useful to detect other star systems in this manner. It may be a common means of communication, just a thought.

 

To produce the energy necessary to penetrate the vast distances in space would require something, well, similiar to a sun, and to have it be obvious or stand out would require it go on for a long period of time. So, I figure, why not a sun?

 

Makes sense, and we'd naturally be looking towards them for other signs of life, anyways. 

[Alyster]

I'm not quite sure which requires more energy, penetrating billions of lightyears with a radiowave or building a shade that will temporarily block out an entire star.