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We continue to scan the skies for signals.
Sure we are sending lots of data into space with our radio and TV broadcasts, but we've made no statistically significant attempts to communicate with anyone.
But we're also planning on building a series of Interferometer telescopes to actually see
planets around other systems.
Stands to reason that to the extent there are other civilizations out there, they are doing similar things.
Make sure that they don't only see life and civilization but immediately see information as well by building patterns into how we turn lights on and off as day changes into night.
This way, when they get the signal at first, we're already communicating -- and their response is going to be to the point, as opposed to "here we are, want to talk?" or "Lucille Ball, What were you thinking"?
Looking for Laser ET signals
http://www.ananova....ews.latestheadlines
[theircompetitor]
Earth At Night
http://www.skyimage...om/earatnitlar.html [theircompetitor, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]
Earth At Night
http://www.skyimage...om/earatnitlar.html
[theircompetitor, Oct 04 2004]
Nasa city lights image
http://visibleearth...bin/viewrecord?5826
[theircompetitor, Oct 04 2004]
(?) Intergalactic Shadow Puppets
http://www.space.co...ngworld_050415.html
[theircompetitor, Apr 18 2005]
[link]
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What do you plan to say with the lights? What rosetta stone do you suppose the aliens will use to translate and then read the morse code? |
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Techniques for doing this, though obviously untested, :) do exist. |
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We sure noticed quasars, right? Obviously the level of energy is not available to us, but we noticed them because of periodicity. |
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You'd probably start by simulating universal frequencies (like spectra), in essence encoding them in the frequency of the flashes. |
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Cheers [TC].
Are we not doing this already as a planet?. Surely the standard Day/Night cycle would be apparent to any equiv_tech species?. They could make their own minds up about the ER (not the show, obviously!).
Are we talking about the recognition of non-random radiation patterns here? |
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No -- we're definitely talking signaling -- otherwise, we are already generating lots of data as you point out -- but that in fact does not contain rosetta info as Basil2 points out. So while it's possible they can decipher it, it won't be trivial, because it's not geared for it. |
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So at a minimum, the point of signaling would be to save the initial roundtrip by ensuring that the reply is coming back as "intelligible" as possible. |
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Of course a relatively trivial solution might be to add a special explanatory signal packet to all broadcasts -- the FCC could require it, for instance. |
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But somehow this smoke signal approach seems more halfbaked |
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I got your train of thought now. I was figuring that we are already broadcasting Prime Numbers et.al. on a good signal strength already so that a degree of communication (or at least a common platform of mathematics) can be established.
If you want to do it with light, then you would need to have a Web connection in every house tied to the house lighting system and be controlled by a common synchronised computer (watch out for dead spots e.g. Lots of Africa etc.!).
We probably have just such a device but then again so do others.
BTW, does inferterometry overcome the problem with the earth's atmosphere? |
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hmm, I think space based visibility would be based on how good the interferometry is and length of exposure. If Hubble can see the furthest galaxies, I'm guessing a thousand Hubbles strategically positioned can see a shitting fly. Though I'm no optics expert. |
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I wasn't thinking individual houses btw, I was thinking street lights, airports, skyscrapers. But I suppose it could include houses. |
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Yeah, but Hubble is outside of our atmosphere. This has always been the main optical problem in that the atmosphere seriously stops any resolution of light based telescopes (sodium noise etc. as you are probably aware). Also, 1000 Hubbles in a line will not increase resolution per se. |
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Strategically positioned doesn't mean a line :) |
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Granted! but the atmosphere is still aproblem, no? |
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gnomethang -- see link -- I think this is a non-issue |
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Hmm - NOt convinced. Where was this piccy taken from, bearing in mind that it is not a straight photograph but clearly a composite?. I am not dissing the idea here, but I think that the atmosphere is the main problem for any long range transmission. |
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OK, I see that it is from some orbiting satellites but they are still DAMN close to the Earth!. |
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Why do you assume that if there are other civilizations, they are trying to get in contact with us? It doesn't automatically stand to reason that. |
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Correct [yabba], but we base the premise on the assumption that a civilisation with an equivalent technology base and development will be thinking in a similar way and will at least ask the question. Given the assumption that they are at a similar equiv_tech then we can only try to communicate in the same way.
Its sort of an extension of the Weak Anthropic Principle: The Universe can support other life because we are here to perceive it. Very Weak, I know!. It is an assumption , as well! |
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yabba: it's like yelling "Stella(r)" -- wow, that's weak -- Brando doesn't know if she's coming down. But he has to yell. |
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gnomethang, see additional (NASA) link. I think close or far then becomes issue of just how well you can "interfere" |
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Yeah, there's probably other life out there. But I just think it gets really hard really quickly to categorize similar levels of technology, as one idea spawns another in quite a chaotic manner. |
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I imagined this idea was similar to the morse code signalling at sea, with the shutter and the light. |
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Except using the Sun instead. |
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The problem is how to build a shutter that could block the light from the Sun? |
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You don't really need a shutter that big. Instead, just use a largish mirror to reflect the light and a similar-sized shutter. Granted, not as powerful, but you can't have everything. |
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If you also store location in [gnome]'s web-controlled lights, you can show the aliens home movies. Well, monochrome home movies (unless each house is required to have red, green, or blue lights?)(oh wait, we don't know the color sensitivity of their eyes). |
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ha! Or at the very least, demo Pong :) |
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Welcome aboard Flight 72, nonstop to Houston. Our movie tonight will be Charlie Chaplin, in..." |
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Or you could use lasers to make animations, maps, and other such things.That would probably be easier to understand. |
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// a special explanatory signal
packet// |
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Shouldn't that be a special ex-
planetary signal packet? |
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//The problem is how to build a
shutter that could block the light
from the Sun?// |
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Build it a long way away from the
Sun, in a far Lagrange point or
something. Then it only has to
cover a small arc to block the view
of the sun from a distant star. Use
a huge transmissive LCD or
thousands of small, synchronised
actuated shutters. |
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Oh wow, how wrong can you
be? Of course a Lagrange point
is going to be an infinitesimal
fraction of the distance to even
the nearest star, so you still end
up having to build a sun-sized
shutter. |
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I could also imagine a ring of
segments, slowly and distantly
orbiting the sun. Gaps in the
ring pulse out a repeating
sequence. |
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I would expect that intelligent lifeforms might be able to tell if the light is pulsing in amplitude, so the total Sun wouldn't need to be blocked out. Fortunately, the further from the Sun, the smaller the blocking system needs to be, but unfortunately, the more directional the signal will be. |
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By the way, I like the pulse idea. Like a rotary encoder, or paper tape system from old computer systems. |
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