City Lights Could Reveal E.T. Civilization

[HysteryDiagnosis]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103190356.htm

ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2011) — In the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, astronomers have hunted for radio signals and ultra-short laser pulses. In a new paper, Avi Loeb (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) and Edwin Turner (Princeton University) suggest a new technique for finding aliens: look for their city lights. "Looking for alien cities would be a long shot, but wouldn't require extra resources. And if we succeed, it would change our perception of our place in the universe," said Loeb.

[CJCRANE]

1. I never thought of that.

Seems obvious.

[Lint Head]

2. This is if aliens use lights and have discovered lighting as we know it.

If aliens have developed night vision lighting lights would not be needed. It is an interesting idea because light is existing energy.

[CJCRANE]

3. It also depends on the cloud cover...nt

[Demstud]

15. All true, probably why he said it was a longshot :-P

And if it doesn't require a bunch of extra resources like he said, it's worth a shot. Just another base covered.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. So what's your problem with Detroit there buddy? I don't expect you to be here

for long so make it quick.

[shraby]

6. I believe the "leashes" are the top 1% who are sucking the

city dry. They got rid of as much industry as possible and moved it all to what they perceived as greener pastures. Then started in on the rest of the city because they didn't want to support teachers, firemen, police, roads, lights and other infrastructure. Nothing outside of their mansions.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. Copy that. I have a problem with blaming the common man for all the ills of the world. n/t

[izquierdista]

7. Not if they live like North Korea

Then again, N.K. is not exactly civilized.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. We can just scope out the leakages from their new clulear program... should show up

on a scan.

[lg59kis]

10. +1

[saras]

11. This implies that they are as stupid, wasteful, and emotional with their lighting as we are

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

12. Can't see 'em

If they've constructed a Dyson Sphere, a huge thin constructed film that could wrap the entire circumference of a solar system. The benefits of which would include a vast potential living surface and virtually 100% capture of solar energy. Aside from gravitic effects on neighboring stars, a Dyson Sphere would probably be invisible to outside observers.

The drawbacks? It's noon, everywhere, all the time. Every piece of dust, every gram of material in a solar system, all its planets, comets, and gases, would be consumed to make the shell. Even then, it would be paper-thin.

http://ih3.redbubble.net/image.10793698.3391/fc,140x140,black.jpg

[Fumesucker]

13. A Dyson sphere will glow in the far infrared..

All that solar energy impacting will eventually turn to heat which will be radiated off the outside of the Dyson sphere.

To the right instrument it should be fairly obvious, even from a considerable distance.

[Phoonzang]

14. Um...I thought about this when I was about 12.

Is this a new idea?

[Demstud]

16. I'm sure the idea isn't new... but

But the method might be. Though it seems like an obvious idea to even children, I doubt most of us would know how to go about actual implementation of that idea, lol.