tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post8869306133473737286..comments2023-11-03T06:32:28.410-04:00Comments on Staring At Empty Pages: Listening for space aliensBarry Leibahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-74874606860879213982010-07-25T23:58:15.982-04:002010-07-25T23:58:15.982-04:00I went to a talk several years ago by Dr. Kent Cul...I went to a talk several years ago by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Cullers" rel="nofollow">Dr. Kent Cullers</a>, a well-known SETI scientist who was the model for one of the characters in the movie <i>Contact</i>.<br /><br />I noted the fact that we don't transmit signals (very frequently, at least) that are intended for reception by other societies' SETI equivalents, and therefore we might expect them to do the same. I asked him at what range, using our then-current receiving technology, would we be able to detect Earth's background radiation (broadcast stations, radars, etc.). The answer, as I recall, was about 7 light-years. That would lead me to conclude that we should be focusing on star systems that are relatively close to us (apparently only 4 are <7 light-years away; there are quite a few more <12 light-years distant but I don't know which, if any, might be able to support viable planetary systems), or that we need to add a new factor to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake%27s_equation" rel="nofollow">Drake's Equation</a> to account for the postulated probability that another society is trying to be heard.<br /><br />Even so, I don't think SETI is a waste of time. They're doing good science, have made significant contributions in signal processing and distributed computation technology, and they stand a good chance of making an important and totally unexpected discovery.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05459244944209591455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-35671447528114546452010-07-23T12:37:51.096-04:002010-07-23T12:37:51.096-04:00Ah, for sub-space radio.Ah, for sub-space radio.Barry Leibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-53092660426174550522010-07-23T12:36:43.662-04:002010-07-23T12:36:43.662-04:00I don't get it...just ask Lt. Uhura to "s...I don't get it...just ask Lt. Uhura to "scan all frequencies" - then you are done!Brenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13094923391435871078noreply@blogger.com