Are Aliens Watching Us And How Could We Hide? With Dr. David Kipping
Once again, at the AAS Meeting in Hawaii, I got a chance to sit down with another astronomer to talk about their research. This time it was Dr. David Kipping from Columbia University's Cool World's Lab. We talked about how easy it'll be for aliens to know our planet is inhabited, and some ways we might be able to hide the evidence of our existence.
Watch the video here:
Comments (5)
Index 11:00 yes the square km array could detect a radio signal from a planet 20 LY away, but only if it's pointed at the target. The Free Space Path Loss (FSPL) formula is all about (1) gain of transmitter, (2) gain of receiver, (3) distance. Gain is increased by making your tx/rx directional. The more directional the more gain. The further away the source is, the more accurately you must point at the source to pick it up. The bottom line is you can't survey the entire sky for alien TV signals at 20 LY away. You have to pick your targets and listen for a long time and hope you pick up a signal. It's a different story if they are sending an intentional message directed right at us.
At 7:35, Fraser politely staying silent while Lagrange points are being explained to him.
Thanks for the reply. I guess there is no way that it can be proved without more data.
Fraser, could the smaller moons that Cassini observed in Saturn's rings be fragments of the moon that is believed to be the source of the rings or are they thought to be something else?
The total mass of Saturn's rings is about the mass of Hyperion, so it wouldn't be a very big moon.