Aliens ‘May Have Already Spotted Us!’ Astronomers Announce
Article by Sebastian Kettely October 23, 2020 (express.co.uk)
• A pair of astronomers associated with the Carl Sagan Institute have published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society a radical proposition that if we have the means to examine distant exoplanets looking for biosignatures that indicate a presence of life, then possible alien civilizations on those distant worlds could have the means to see us too! Indeed, we may have already been spotted!
• Since the first exoplanet was discovered in 1992, astronomers have learned there are more planets out there than the stars dotting our night skies. Missions like NASA’s Kepler and TESS have uncovered thousands of these worlds in hopes we can catch a glimpse of their make up for possible biosignatures, all within the so-called habitable zone where conditions may allow liquid water to exist. These starts containing potentially habitable exoplanets are all found within 300 light-years of Earth, meaning they are close enough for us to scan their potential planets. Conversely, planets within this catalog will also have a direct line of sight to Earth, which implies aliens could be scanning our world for signs of life as well.
• Lisa Kaltenegger, an associate professor at Cornell University and a co-author of the paper, says, “Let’s reverse the viewpoint to that of other stars and ask from which vantage point other observers could find Earth as a transiting planet.” Transiting planets are worlds that pass in front of a star, through the observer’s line of sight. Space telescopes like NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) can see these transits by detecting the dips in brightness they cause. “If observers were out there searching, they would be able to see signs of a biosphere in the atmosphere of our Pale Blue Dot,” referring to Earth.
• “In our search for life in the Universe, we ask a little bit of a different question in this research,” says Kaltenegger. “We ask who could have actually spotted us? Who could have found out that Earth is teeming with life from their vantage point?: They would know that we have liquid water, and the potential for life. “What would they think?”
• [Editor’s Note] Speculation that another civilization on a distant exoplanet may be at the exact state of technology as we are, and could therefore detect on our Earth what we are able to detect (or not detect) about their planet, passes for ‘science’ these days. Brilliant. It is nothing more than another deep state exercise in futility and a waste of time. These type of SETI studies are only funded so that they can release ‘scientific papers’ to reassure the mind-numbed public that smart people at top universities are studying the extraterrestrial/ UFO subject, but darn it, they just haven’t been able to find any intelligent extraterrestrials out there. (I think the Cornell University’s “Carl Sagan Institute” was a dead give-away. Sagan has been revealed to have been a major deep state disinformation agent during his career.)
Scientists hunting for signs of alien life have concentrated on our nearest corner of space, such as Mars and Venus, and planets orbiting stars far beyond our reach. Since the first exoplanet discovery in 1992, astronomers have learned there are more planets out there than the stars dotting our night skies. Missions like NASA’s Kepler and TESS have uncovered thousands of these worlds in hopes we can catch a glimpse of their make up for possible biosignatures – chemistry that could be created by life on the surface.
Now, a pair of astronomers in the US has proposed that if we have the means to see these worlds, potential alien civilisations could have the means to see us.
And if advanced life exists somewhere out there among the stars, chances are we may have already been spotted.
Lisa Kaltenegger, an associate professor and director of Cornell University’s Carl Sagan Insitute, and Joshua Pepper, associate professor of physics at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, have identified 1,004 close stars similar to our Sun.
These stars might be orbited by Earth-like planets within the so-called habitable zone where conditions are ripe for liquid water to exists on the surface.
All of these stars are found within 300 light-years of Earth, meaning they are close enough for us to scan their potential planets for biosignatures.
Planets within this catalogue will also have a direct line of sight to Earth, which implies aliens could be scanning our world for signs of life as well.
Professor Kaltenegger said: “Let’s reverse the viewpoint to that of other stars and ask from which vantage point other observers could find Earth as a transiting planet.”
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