Wheis ET?

Mike,

One sure way to spot ET would be via the exhaust of their star-ships. High temperature plasmas should provide a definite signature whether from a VASIMR or a fusion drive. A fusion drive would likely use H2 for fuel and so highly ionized H2 as a point source with some red shift would be an interesting signature. Might be mis-read as a distant star or quasar by an astronomer not considering the possibility of ET space ships. :-) If moving toward us, we won' see their exhaust. Moving away will provide opportunities that will vary depending upon the angle with respect to our field of view.

Cheers,

Tom

From: Mike Combs
To: spacesettlers@egroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2000 6:57 AM
Subject: [spacesettlers] Where is ET?

--- In spacesettlers@egroups.com, "bill t" wrote:
> >
> I'm curious, how would you know a probe?

I suppose if the ETs didn't want the probe to be spotted, it might be
very difficult. The might be a minimum size for a full-up
replicator, but just a camera for observation might be very small.

The heat signature might be the only dependable way for spotting such
a probe.

> At a stellar level our ability to detect anything out side of our
> solar system approaches zero, so a re-ordered solar system 100 LY
from
> here would be undetectable. Anyway how can we tell between reordered
> or not?

I think replicators present the possibility of re-ordering a solar
system on a scale visible from 100 LY.

Dyson said we would be able to spot a re-ordered solar system via a
shift in stellar spectrum to infra-red.

> Also consider a real advanced civilization may simply be artificial
> intelligence. They never land on planets because they can't. They
> enter a solar system, use up a asteroid or two procreating for a
> thousand years, then move on. I understand the need for social
> structures, but has anyone seriously considered an alien
civilization
> made up of solitary AI's that come together once every 10 million
> years to talk about what happened.

I would expect any civilization (whether composed of flesh-and-blood
or silicon and steel) operating free of planets and using asteroids
for resources to be far more visible than any planet-bound
civilization.

Mike,

One sure way to spot ET would be via the exhaust of their star-ships. High temperature plasmas should provide a definite signature whether from a VASIMR or a fusion drive. A fusion drive would likely use H2 for fuel and so highly ionized H2 as a point source with some red shift would be an interesting signature. Might be mis-read as a distant star or quasar by an astronomer not considering the possibility of ET space ships. :-) If moving toward us, we won' see their exhaust. Moving away will provide opportunities that will vary depending upon the angle with respect to our field of view.

Cheers,

Tom

From:
Mike Combs
To:
spacesettlers@egroups.com
Sent:
Wednesday, December 27, 2000 6:57 AM
Subject:
[spacesettlers] Where is ET?
--- In
spacesettlers@egroups.com
, "bill t" <
qwerty172@e
...> wrote:
> >
> I'm curious, how would you know a probe?
I suppose if the ETs didn't want the probe to be spotted, it might be
very difficult. The might be a minimum size for a full-up
replicator, but just a camera for observation might be very small.
The heat signature might be the only dependable way for spotting such
a probe.
> At a stellar level our ability to detect anything out side of our
> solar system approaches zero, so a re-ordered solar system 100 LY
from
> here would be undetectable. Anyway how can we tell between reordered
> or not?
I think replicators present the possibility of re-ordering a solar
system on a scale visible from 100 LY.
Dyson said we would be able to spot a re-ordered solar system via a
shift in stellar spectrum to infra-red.
> Also consider a real advanced civilization may simply be artificial
> intelligence. They never land on planets because they can't. They
> enter a solar system, use up a asteroid or two procreating for a
> thousand years, then move on. I understand the need for social
> structures, but has anyone seriously considered an alien
civilization
> made up of solitary AI's that come together once every 10 million
> years to talk about what happened.
I would expect any civilization (whether composed of flesh-and-blood
or silicon and steel) operating free of planets and using asteroids
for resources to be far more visible than any planet-bound
civilization.