By comparison, our sun is very bright, and, given the distances involved, very close, and planetary light sources are dim enough to fit within the natural variability of light emissions by their parent star.
The advantage of looking for radio signals is that their modulation helps them stand out from background noise.
The down side is, the shell of our radio transmissions is only about 80 or so light years in diameter, and there isn't all that much in such a tiny section of space, though I do keep my fingers crossed for Gliese 581.
"There is only one thing for it then--to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting..."
-T.H. White, The Once and Future King
No Hell below us,
above us only sky...
-John Lennon, Imagine
1 comment:
Nice pic, but I disagree with your conclusion.
By comparison, our sun is very bright, and, given the distances involved, very close, and planetary light sources are dim enough to fit within the natural variability of light emissions by their parent star.
The advantage of looking for radio signals is that their modulation helps them stand out from background noise.
The down side is, the shell of our radio transmissions is only about 80 or so light years in diameter, and there isn't all that much in such a tiny section of space, though I do keep my fingers crossed for Gliese 581.
Post a Comment