Article by Bilal Waqar May 1, 2021 (wonderfulengineering.com)
• Proxima Centauri, at 4.243 light-years away from Earth (9.46 trillion kilometers) is the closest known star to our Sun, and it is the solar host to at least two known planets. Meredith MacGregor, an assistant professor at the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, and her team had set up a program that directed nine instruments towards Proxima Centauri, including NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. All of these were able to record a massive flare coming right out of the Proxima Centauri.
• “The star went from normal to 14,000 times brighter when seen in ultraviolet wavelengths over the span of a few seconds,” said MacGregor. “It’s the first time we’ve ever had this kind of multi-wavelength coverage of a stellar flare. Usually, you’re lucky if you can get two instruments.”
• The super radiative explosion lasted for seven seconds and was the largest ever recorded coming out of a Milky Way star. The current reasoning for these explosions is that when magnetic fields close to the surface of a star twist, it causes a deadly wave of the radiative explosion. Scientists say with this new data, they will be able to study better how stars generate flares.
• Proxima Centauri is a “red-dwarf” star that is only one-eighth the size of the Sun. But the flare it blew into the milky way is termed as the largest and deadliest radiation ever to come from the surface of a star. A journal published in the Astrophysical Letters states, “The flare was so big that scientists think it may have spelled doom for any life present on nearby exoplanets in orbit.” The colossal solar flare was so big that it sure would have burnt out any extra-terrestrial life on a planet near the Proxima Centauri.
Scientists just termed a gigantic wave of fire as the biggest flare ever recorded in the
Meredith MacGregor
Milky Way. And it might have wiped out alien life on another planet.
The flowing flare was seen coming out from the Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the sun, that lies 9.46 trillion kilometers and 4.243 light-years away from earth. Scientists claimed of recording the massive burst of fire from the “red-dwarf” star, the distance of which from the sun is almost the same that it has from the earth.
Scientists state it holds a significant position. Why? Because it is the closest known star to the sun and serves as a solar host to at least two planets. It is one-eighth the size of the sun, but the flare it blew into the milky way is termed as the largest and deadliest radiation that came out from the surface of a star ever.
A journal published in the Astrophysical Letters states, “The flare was so big that scientists think it may have spelled doom for any life present on nearby exoplanets in orbit, reshaping the search for life beyond Earth’s solar system.”
“The star went from normal to 14,00 times brighter when seen in ultraviolet wavelengths over the span of a few seconds,” said MacGregor, an assistant professor at the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA). The discovery has paved the path for a new physics that will probably change how we perceive stellar fires.
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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.
Lisa Kaltenegger deep state scientist
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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Article by Leonard David November 26, 2019 (space.com)
• So far, astronomers have found more than 4,000 exoplanets and more are being discovered, suggesting that every star in the Milky Way galaxy hosts more than one planet. Space.com asked top SETI experts whether they will detect life elsewhere in the galaxy or even intelligent extraterrestrials?
• In searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, senior SETI astronomer Seth Shostak relies on detecting narrow-band radio signals or brief flashes of laser light from nearby star systems. If there are 10,000 extraterrestrial societies broadcasting radio signals in the galaxy, then he estimates that SETI will need to examine 10 million star systems to find one. That will take at least two more decades.
• But with the new receivers for the Allen Telescope Array in northern California that is scheduled for 2020, SETI will be able to search for laser technosignatures, which may improve their chances. Says Shostak, “[O]ne can always hope to be taken by surprise.”
• Michael Michaud, author of the book: Contact with Alien Civilizations: Our Hopes and Fears about Encountering Extraterrestrials, says that improvements to search technologies could boost the odds of success. But there are still vast areas of the galaxy that we are not looking at. In searching for chemical technosignatures, we’ll most likely find simple life forms before finding a technological civilization.
• If SETI did find evidence of life in the galaxy, Michaud thinks the news will leak quickly. How should they announce the discovery? “[G]overnmental authorities won’t have much time for developing a public-affairs strategy,” says Michaud. Premade plans for such an announcement are unlikely because agency personnel won’t be able to get past the “giggle factor”, thinking that it is all just too absurd.
• Pete Worden, executive director of the Breakthrough Initiatives, which is affiliated with SETI, said, “I think this is going to be a long-term project. I estimate a very small probability of success (of finding extraterrestrial life) in any given year.” Nevertheless, “The Breakthrough Initiatives is committed to full and immediate disclosure of any and all results,” said Worden.
• Steven Dick, an astrobiology scholar and author of the book: Astrobiology, Discovery, and Societal Impact, says despite the work by Breakthrough Listen and NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), there’s no reason to think 2020 would be the year for discovery. “[A]ll these things combine to increase the chances over the next decade of finding extraterrestrial intelligence. I would caution, though, that any discovery will be an extended process, consisting of detection and interpretation before any understanding is achieved,” said Dick. “I see the search advancing incrementally next year, but with an accelerating possibility that life will be discovered in the near future.” “One thing that is certain is that we are getting a better handle on the issues of societal impact, should such a discovery be made.”
• Douglas Vakoch, president of the SETI-affiliated nonprofit Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI), notes that “We are right now on the verge of finding out whether there is life elsewhere in the universe.” We scan with available technologies: Earth-based observatories, space-based telescopes, and even craft that travel to other planets and moons in our solar system. “It all depends on how plentiful intelligent extraterrestrials are. If one in 10,000 star systems is home to an advanced civilization trying to make contact, then …the news we’re not alone in the universe could well come in 2020,” Vakoch says.
• “As the next generation of space telescopes is launched, we will increase our chances of detecting signs of life through changes to the atmospheres of planets that orbit other stars, giving us millions of targets in our search for even simple life in the cosmos,” says Vakoch. But we probably won’t have “definitive proof” until after 2020 when NASA launches the James Webb Space Telescope, or 2028 when the European Space Agency starts its Atmospheric Remote-Sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey, or ARIEL, to study the atmospheres of exoplanets for potential signs of life.
• “[D]on’t hold your breath for discovery by 2020,” says Vakoch. Humans cannot control whether or not there is life elsewhere in the universe. “Either it’s there or it’s not.” “To be human is to live with uncertainty.” “If we demand guarantees before we begin searching, then we are guaranteed to find nothing. But if we are willing to commit to the search in the coming year and long afterwards, even without knowing we will succeed, then we are sure to discover that there is at least one civilization in the universe that has the passion and the determination to understand its place in the cosmos — and that civilization is us.”
• [Editor’s Note] Seth Shostak and his band of idiots at SETI make their living by covering up the widespread existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life all around us, on behalf of their puppet masters, the Deep State elite. Are they liars or are they being fooled themselves? If they are half the scientists they claim to be, they must know the truth. Therefore, they are the very face of the Deep State lying to the public. They are reprehensible. They talk in scientific terms about the new technologies that they employ in their phony search to find a needle in a haystack. But they insist that it will take years, and probably lifetimes before they find a microbe on a distant exoplanet. Then they add platitudes of what a grand discovery it will be if they ever find life in the universe besides humanity. But make no mistake. Their job is to never find life beyond the Earth, and they have gotten very good at it.
In the past three decades, scientists have found more than 4,000 exoplanets. And the discoveries will keep rolling in; observations suggest that every star in the Milky Way galaxy hosts more than one planet on average.
Seth Shostak
Given a convergence of ground- and space-based capability, artificial intelligence/machine learning research and other tools, are we on the verge of identifying what is universally possible for life — or perhaps even confirming the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence?
Is 2020 the celestial payoff year, in which objects of interest are found to offer “technosignatures,” indicators of technology developed by advanced civilizations?
Space.com asked top SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) experts about what next year may signal regarding detecting other starfolk.
Michael Michaud
Gaining speed
“Well, despite being the widely celebrated 100-year anniversary of the election of Warren G. Harding, 2020 will not likely gain fame as the year we first discover extraterrestrial life,” said Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California.
The search for intelligent beings elsewhere, Shostak said, is largely conducted by checking out nearby star systems for either narrow-band radio signals or brief flashes of laser light. And those might succeed at any time, he told Space.com.
“But one should remember that this type of search is gaining speed in an exponential fashion, and that particular technical fact allows a crude estimate of when SETI might pay off. If we take — for lack of a better estimate — Frank Drake’s opinion that there might be 10,000 broadcasting societies in the Milky Way, then we clearly have to examine at least one [million] – 10 million stellar systems to have a reasonable chance of tripping across one. That goal will be reached in the next two decades, but certainly not in 2020,” Shostak said.
Pete Worden
Improved searches
But there are still reasons for intelligent-alien hunters to be excited and optimistic about the coming year. Multiple existing projects will either be expanded or improved in 2020, Shostak said. For example, the SETI Institute will get new receivers for the Allen Telescope Array in northern California, and both the SETI Institute and the University of California, Berkeley, will conduct new searches for possible laser technosignatures.
“And, of course, there’s always the unexpected,” Shostak said. “In 1996, the biggest science story of the year was the claim that fossilized Martian microbes had been found in a meteorite. No one really saw that coming. So one can always hope to be taken by surprise.”
Previous predictions
“I am skeptical about picking a specific year for the first discovery. Previous predictions of success have been wrong,” said Michael Michaud, author of the thought-provoking book “Contact with Alien Civilizations: Our Hopes and Fears about Encountering Extraterrestrials” (Copernicus, 2007).
“I and others have observed that the continued improvement of our search technologies and strategies could boost the odds for success,” Michaud said, noting that the primary focus of SETI remains on radio signals. “However, we still don’t cover all frequencies, all skies, all of the time. Other types of searches have failed, too, such as looking for laser signals or Dyson spheres [ET mega-engineering projects]. Those campaigns usually have limited funding and often don’t last long.”
Steven Dick
A new possibility has arisen because of exoplanet discoveries, Michaud said: “In some cases, astronomers now can look for chemical evidence of life in planetary atmospheres. It is conceivable that we will find simple forms of life before we find signals from a technological civilization.”
Douglas Vakoch
Prevailing opinion
If astronomers do someday confirm a SETI detection, how should they announce the discovery? It is an old question that has been answered in several ways.
“The prevailing opinion among radio astronomers has been that the news will leak quickly. If that is correct, scientific and governmental authorities won’t have much time for developing a public-affairs strategy,” Michaud said.
“It remains possible that the sophisticated monitoring capabilities of intelligence agencies might be the first to detect hard evidence,” Michaud said. “One might think that the government would have a plan to deal with such an event.”
But, Michaud said that his own experience suggests that such plans are unlikely to be drawn up due to a “giggle factor” and would be forgotten as officials rotated out of their positions. He previously represented the U.S. Department of State in interagency discussions of national space policy.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. ExoNews.org distributes this material for the purpose of news reporting, educational research, comment and criticism, constituting Fair Use under 17 U.S.C § 107. Please contact the Editor at ExoNewswith any copyright issue.
Scientists just termed a gigantic wave of fire as the biggest flare ever recorded in the
