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[The Elite]

Don't get your hopes up yet!

August 31st Update:

Oh, look. It came from Earth:

On August 30, 2016 there appeared a number of reports in different mass media on possible detection of a radio signal at RATAN-600 associated with the activity of an extraterrestrial civilization; in this connection, we consider it necessary to make official comments.

In the framework of this program, an interesting radio signal at a wavelength of 2.7 cm was detected in the direction of one of the objects (star system HD164595 in Hercules) in 2015. Subsequent processing and analysis of the signal revealed its most probable terrestrial origin.​

Ars Technica article on it:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016...rs-saw-was-strong-because-it-came-from-earth/

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/08/seti-has-observed-a-strong-signal-that-may-originate-from-a-sun-like-star/

It remains only the barest of probabilities that astronomers have just found evidence of extraterrestrial, intelligent life. Nevertheless, in the community of astronomers and other scientists who use radio telescopes to search the heavens for beacons of life there is considerable excitement about a new signal observed by a facility in Russia.

According to Paul Glister, author of the Centauri Dreams website, the Italian astronomer Claudio Maccone and other astronomers affiliated with the search for extraterrestrial intelligence have detected "a strong signal in the direction of HD164595." HD 164595 is a star of 0.99 solar masses about 95 light years from Earth, with an estimated age of 6.3 billion years. The system is known to have at least one planet, HD 164595 b, which is similar in size to Neptune and orbits its star in 40 days. Other planets may exist in the system as well.

The observation was made with the RATAN-600 radio telescope in Zelenchukskaya, in southern Russia, Glister reports. He cautioned that the evidence is very preliminary:

"No one is claiming that this is the work of an extraterrestrial civilization, but it is certainly worth further study. Working out the strength of the signal, the researchers say that if it came from an isotropic beacon, it would be of a power possible only for a Kardashev Type II civilization. If it were a narrow beam signal focused on our Solar System, it would be of a power available to a Kardashev Type I civilization. The possibility of noise of one form or another cannot be ruled out, and researchers in Paris led by Jean Schneider are considering the possible microlensing of a background source by HD164595. But the signal is provocative enough that the RATAN-600 researchers are calling for permanent monitoring of this target."

Suntzeff added that he would not be surprised if the signal was due to a terrestrial origin, because at 11Ghz it occurred in a part of the radio spectrum used by the military. "God knows who or what broadcasts at 11Ghz, and it would not be out of the question that some sort of bursting communication is done between ground stations and satellites," he said. "I would follow it if I were the astronomers, but I would also not hype the fact that it may be at SETI signal given the significant chance it could be something military."

Update:

Too good to be true?

SETI@home Astronomer Eric Korpela shit all over this

 

[anonymous_abc]

No one is claiming that this is the work of an extraterrestrial civilization, but it is [...].

Nice!

 

[Blablurn]

 

[Lightning_Roller]

What if it really is something more than an energy spike? That would be pretty cool. But it's probably an energy spike either way.

 

[Yaboosh]

I bet the tech was putting a golf ball when he heard the signal then called his boss in the middle of the night and his boss was so excited he hit his head or something.

 

[Jal]

You really should have put 'alien' in the title.

 

[Blizzard]

This reminds me of the weird signal that only happened at certain times. It turned out to be because the observatory personnel made microwave popcorn at those times, and the microwave was leaky, if I recall correctly.

 

[Slayer-33]

Hyyyyyyyyyypeeeeeeeeeeee!

 

[HStallion]

Eh its probably something like Pulsar's giving a false positive or something along those lines. I tend to take the skeptical look at these kinds of "events" when in all likelihood its not ETs.

 

[backflip10019]

So just how fucked are we if it's a Type II civilization? Maybe fucked or surely fucked?

 

[commedieu]

So just how fucked are we if it's a Type II civilization? Maybe fucked or surely fucked?

Inherently if they can travel to us, they'd have infinitely superior technology.

We'd have to hope they weren't mean. That's about all we could do.

 

[sirap]

Dat product placement.

 

[HStallion]

So just how fucked are we if it's a Type II civilization? Maybe fucked or surely fucked?

Do you give a shit what ants are doing on the other side of the planet? There is your answer and using ants as analogy might be exaggerating our importance and abilities, we might be more comparable to amoeba's to a Type 2 civilization.

 

[asagami_]

This Twin Peaks campaign is reaching some new levels!

Spoiler

This thread and the other about the star are going to haunt me some days.

 

[eXistor]

So just how fucked are we if it's a Type II civilization? Maybe fucked or surely fucked?

I for one....eh you know the rest.

 

[exmachina64]

So just how fucked are we if it's a Type II civilization? Maybe fucked or surely fucked?

They can't detect us and it's impossible to travel near or at the speed of light.

 

[The Elite]

Do you give a shit what ants are doing on the other side of the planet? There is your answer and using ants as analogy might be exaggerating our importance and abilities, we might be more comparable to amoeba's

If there was a really good documentary about ants in Australia I may actually watch it. In my day-to-day I don't give a shit but there are researches in our population who do.

Of course, we may only be a scientific curiosity and nothing more. We would hardly be considered a civilization that could be their intellectual equals.

They can't detect us and it's impossible to travel near or at the speed of light.

It's impossible to travel near light speed for us with current technology.

 

[backflip10019]

Do you give a shit what ants are doing on the other side of the planet? There is your answer and using ants as analogy might be exaggerating our importance and abilities, we might be more comparable to amoeba's

I used to think this was an apt comparison, but due to the fact that we can manipulate the resources on our planet, I'd think a civilization that's interested in harvesting the power of their own sun may be interested in us at least from a research perspective. We know how rare life is in the universe. Our scientists still study ants from all over the world despite not really caring about their individual needs and wants.

 

[HStallion]

If there was a really good documentary about ants in Australia I may actually watch it. In my day-to-day I don't give a shit but there are researches in our population who do.

Of course, we may only be a scientific curiosity and nothing more. We would hardly be considered a civilization that could be their intellectual equals.

See the thing is they wouldn't even know we were here which is why I said calling us Ants might be exaggerating our level of interest and importance to such a civilization. Worse they might see us and not even acknowledge us as anything but an annoyance or curiosity, or they might just step on us without even realizing because we just happened to be in the way and are so insignificant.

 

[N.Domixis]

First the wow signal, then the dimming star and now this? Maybe the universe is full of civilizations.

Spoiler

or maybe we are the first and only civilization so far

 

[Kabuki Quantum Lover]

Busy crafting warp cells, brb.

 

[Patryn]

They can't detect us and it's impossible to travel near or at the speed of light.

Really? There are several proposals for drives that can get close to the speed of light, and then there are things like the Alcubierre drive proposal which is a literal warp drive, allowing us to move faster than light if it works.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

I used to think this was an apt comparison, but due to the fact that we can manipulate the resources on our planet, I'd think a civilization that's interested in harvesting the power of their own sun may be interested in us at least from a research perspective. We know how rare life is in the universe. Our scientists still study ants from all over the world despite not really caring about their individual needs and wants.

There are quite a lot of (probably uninhabited) systems between there and here, so they wouldn't have to invade our particular system just to be assholes. Unless they have reason to believe that once WE get the technology, we're damn well doing it to them.

Luckily they have years and years of transmissions from us proving how damn great we are.

 

[StalkerUKCG]

First the wow signal, then the dimming star and now this? Maybe the universe is full of civilizations.

Spoiler

or maybe we are the first and only civilization so far

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox

• There are billions of stars in the galaxy that are similar to the Sun, many of which are billions of years older than Earth.
• With high probability, some of these stars will have Earth-like planets, and if the Earth is typical, some might develop intelligent life.
• Some of these civilizations might develop interstellar travel, a step the Earth is investigating now.
• Even at the slow pace of currently envisioned interstellar travel, the Milky Way galaxy could be completely traversed in about a million years

If we are not the most infinitesimally small percentage of miracle civilization, aliens are purposefully ignoring and hiding from us.

 

[Uhyve]

They can't detect us and it's impossible to travel near or at the speed of light.

It's only 95 light years away. Signals from our first regularly broadcasting radio stations started getting there quite recently (this year in fact), the signal would be weak af, but I assume that if an advanced alien civilization had some sort of SETI, they'd be able to detect us.

 

[Neo C.]

Welp, that's it for our civilization.

 

[superdeluxe]

Dare to Dream.

 

[GutsOfThor]

It's a mass relay isn't it?

 

[EBE]

Swamp gas

 

[LoveCake]

I hope they come and beam me up!

 

[The Elite]

I hope they come and beam me up!

I hope they bring back Elvis!

 

[Falchion]

All those years my dad left our family desktop on running SETI @ home is starting to pay off.

 

[SlimySnake]

Yeah this is it. we probably wont live to see the 22st century. we would be lucky to survive Hillary's presidency.

 

[Admodieus]

Do not answer!
Do not answer!!
Do not answer!!!

 

[Alexlf]

Really? There are several proposals for drives that can get close to the speed of light, and then there are things like the Alcubierre drive proposal which is a literal warp drive, allowing us to move faster than light if it works.

Aggh, no. I hate the Alcubierre drive. It relies on something that doesn't exist (inverse gravity basicly) to function. It's just an artifact of a mathematical model that occurs when you bring some numbers out of bounds. At that point you may as well just say that if magic worked we could teleport there.

 

[AxelFoley]

Obligatory:

 

[Mr_Antimatter]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox



If we are not the most infinitesimally small percentage of miracle civilization, aliens are purposefully ignoring and hiding from us.

That or, well, they have ether already risen and fallen as a civilization, or they are yet to rise, or maybe, have risen, but not yet achieved our level of tech.

After all, we've only had spaceflight tech for a blink of an eye in terms of how long our species has been around, even less so for how long the earth has.

 

[HStallion]

The Fermi Paradox also takes into account galactic super predators who basically look for all forms of life that could possibly expand into the Galaxy at large and eliminates them before they get there.

 

[jerry113]

It's only 95 light years away. Signals from our first regularly broadcasting radio stations started getting there quite recently (this year in fact), the signal would be weak af, but I assume that if an advanced alien civilization had some sort of SETI, they'd be able to detect us.

uh oh

 

[Melkezadek]

I swear it's only a matter of time before I turn turn on my T.V. and see an alarming "BREAKING NEWS" headline.

I know the likelihood of us ever contacting /being contacted is slim, but I don't think it's impossible. The universe surprises us all the time.

 

[DragonSworne]

They can't detect us and it's impossible to travel near or at the speed of light.

According to Einstein.

 

[gutshot]

It's only 95 light years away. Signals from our first regularly broadcasting radio stations started getting there quite recently (this year in fact), the signal would be weak af, but I assume that if an advanced alien civilization had some sort of SETI, they'd be able to detect us.

Yeah, but it would take 95 years for their reply to reach us. So if this signal is a response to our earliest radio broadcasts, it is 95 years too early.

 

[sono]

Poncho: Major, you'd better take a look at this.

Dutch: Did you find Hawkins?

Poncho: I... I can't tell.



dont forget there are potential downsides..

 

[Mr. Poolman]

So just how fucked are we if it's a Type II civilization? Maybe fucked or surely fucked?

At those levels, they simply won't care. We are just a funky species to watch, not to interact.

 

[KurtSloane]

Yeah, but it would take 95 years for their reply to reach us. So if this signal is a response to our earliest radio broadcasts, it is 95 years too early.

No one said it's a response, he just states that our earliest signals to go out across space are reaching that distance now.

 

[Alexlf]

According to Einstein.

Also according to every single metric and physical law we've thus far discovered and validated. Not saying there absolutely isn't a way, but there most likely isn't. (I REALLY hope I'm wrong though).

 

[exmachina64]

It's impossible to travel near light speed for us with current technology.

With any technology, it's a hard limit with the physical laws of the universe.

Really? There are several proposals for drives that can get close to the speed of light, and then there are things like the Alcubierre drive proposal which is a literal warp drive, allowing us to move faster than light if it works.

It requires more energy than exists in the known universe.

 

[partyphone]

the Fermi paradox doesn't take biology into account. take earth, for example. very low success rate for intelligent species.

 

[The Elite]

With any technology, it's a hard limit with the physical laws of the universe.



\.

Hard limit is the speed of light. Not near the speed of light.

Also, we don't know if potential workarounds exist.

 

[HStallion]

Also according to every single metric and physical law we've thus far discovered and validated. Not saying there absolutely isn't a way, but there most likely isn't. (I REALLY hope I'm wrong though).

As I said before if we discover a method of traveling faster than light I'm willing to bet it will be something we never even considered for a variety of reasons and it will basically amount to hacking the very fabric of space and time. I don't think it will be anything as straight forward as a spaceship that can somehow go faster than light because of a special engine or even a worm hole. It will probably be something so weird and abstract that we never saw it coming and hell we would probably discover it by mistake.