Cad
scientia potentia est
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The Astronomy Thread
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Jive Turkey
Karen
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I took Gravel's post to mean that they intentionally targeted Earth with their signal because they know we're here.
(The quotes around "they" was because I don't think there is a "they" at all; I'm sure it will end up being some other natural phenomenon and we can all be disappointed as usual)
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Gravel
Mr. Poopybutthole
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Eh? I don't know how what I said would imply that. I was just saying that if we're 95 light years away, and radio waves travel at light speed, and they're listening, they probably know we're here.
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Jive Turkey
Karen
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Latest news is that they were able to decipher the signal: "Xe, Xem, Xyr"
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Jive Turkey
Karen
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Eomer
Trakanon Raider
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ShakyJake
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It really doesn't make sense we're alone in the universe. I remember reading that,if a civilization spread out in a paltry .5 the speed of light they could colonize the entire galaxy in a few million years. There has been plenty of time for that.
I guess the best we can do is point some radio telescopes that way and listen intently for any anomalous activity. I've always been highly dubious of the expectation that aliens would be intentionally firing signals at us.
I guess the best we can do is point some radio telescopes that way and listen intently for any anomalous activity. I've always been highly dubious of the expectation that aliens would be intentionally firing signals at us.
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Eomer
Trakanon Raider
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Why? Some scientists want to do just that. And Hawking was like "are you guys fucking morons?"
Plan to broadcast messages to alien worlds leaves cosmologists
Maybe there's an alien civilization out there that's either really stupid, or is all like "we're pretty awesome, we'll be the Conquistadors, holla!"
Plan to broadcast messages to alien worlds leaves cosmologists
Maybe there's an alien civilization out there that's either really stupid, or is all like "we're pretty awesome, we'll be the Conquistadors, holla!"
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ShakyJake
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Because it's a waste of time and energy. The idea that we can beam a signal at a star with the expectation that a recipient is activity listening in our direction at that moment in time is ludicrous.
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Jive Turkey
Karen
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It doesn't, but it also doesn't make sense to assume we'd be able to communicate with it in any meaningful way. How many species are there currently on Earth? How many are we able to effectively communicate with? Every species on Earth has had the exact same amount of "evolution time", yet we're the only ones to ever exist that communicate the way we do. And from a reproductive standpoint, we aren't even the most successful branch of evolution on our own planet. Insects are far more successful than we are. Grasses are more successful than insects. If there were grasses and insects on another planet, we'd have no idea. So even if there was life elsewhere in the universe, it seems incredibly anthropocentric to think they'd be like us in any way.
I also find the search for "Earth-like planets" as a first step to finding life to be misguided. The Earth sustains life now, but life isn't forming on it in its current state. Whatever the state of the Earth 3.8 billion years ago is what's important. We should be looking for "proto-Earth-like planets". There's no reason to assume a planet like Earth today had the same chemical and geological history. And even if it did, only one proto-cell ever survived on Earth to procreate, which is fucking mind boggling when you think about it
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McQueen
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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Tripamang
Naxxramas 1.0 Raider
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Depending on what went wrong this could delay them for months :/ Plus it might undermine them flying humans to the ISS in the next couple years. Hopefully it was something really stupid and nothing wrong with the rocket itself.
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ShakyJake
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