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Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)
8. I would have thought that too some time back..
Fri Feb 13, 2015, 09:01 AM
Feb 2015

But the technology is advancing so rapidly I'm not sure it's entirely true, we are almost at the point of being able to directly image planets around other stars now and the capabilities are increasing on nearly a daily basis.

In fact you can go out with a normal consumer DSLR with telephoto lens and detect at least one planet around another star, in the case in the video below the star is 63 light years away.

http://lensvid.com/gear/diy-exoplanet-detector-using-dslr/



As Clarke pointed out, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.





Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

To Serve Man... It's a cookbook! (n/t) Binkie The Clown Feb 2015 #1
I'm not saying... pinboy3niner Feb 2015 #2
... --- ... Downwinder Feb 2015 #3
Too late. The day of the first radio message x the speed of light. Anything within that circle... cherokeeprogressive Feb 2015 #4
Not really jberryhill Feb 2015 #5
I would have thought that too some time back.. Fumesucker Feb 2015 #8
+1. You post the coolest stuff. lumberjack_jeff Feb 2015 #13
Has nothing to do with picking out AM radio signals jberryhill Feb 2015 #25
It wouldn't surprise me if it could be done with current technology Fumesucker Feb 2015 #30
That's assuming the aliens have similar technological advances as we do. Rex Feb 2015 #12
Yup. And the thing is, aliens are almost surely either way ahead of us or way behind. DanTex Feb 2015 #18
The ones that are around our level of technology Rex Feb 2015 #19
Thanks for the enlightenment. cherokeeprogressive Feb 2015 #23
Anything smart enough to see us and get here won't need to be told. bemildred Feb 2015 #6
+1 and they won't want to eat us. They'd be well past that. nt Dreamer Tatum Feb 2015 #22
I'm guessing they think we are disgusting. bemildred Feb 2015 #24
They are probably glad we haven't figured out how to contact them yet. Jamastiene Feb 2015 #27
Yep, first order of business would be to slap us around bemildred Feb 2015 #29
Terrible idea -- the aliens will call us 'savages', take what's left of our natural resources, GreatGazoo Feb 2015 #7
In reality, we will probably do all of that to them, first, Jamastiene Feb 2015 #28
Our first words should be: Help! We've been overrun by lunatics! Hestia Feb 2015 #9
Although functionally pointless, it would create jobs. lumberjack_jeff Feb 2015 #10
Kind of vain for us to think we have a choice in the matter. Rex Feb 2015 #11
What if they had X-Ray vision and could see right through us? Octafish Feb 2015 #14
Well if they are light years ahead of us in technology Rex Feb 2015 #15
Z-ackly! Octafish Feb 2015 #16
I'd vote we go with a ''Passive'' approach. Octafish Feb 2015 #17
LMAO - all they have to do is go to the TeaBagger convention ... Myrina Feb 2015 #20
Swipe right if you would like to meet! n/t dilby Feb 2015 #21
I am pretty sure if there is intelligent life on other worlds, they Jamastiene Feb 2015 #26
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