Suppose there are 1.1×10^4 civilizations broadcasting radio signals in the Milky Way Galaxy right now.?
Okay, there's a lot wrong with this question, but I assume you're simply meant to answer it from a punch-some-numbers-in-and-get-an-answer perspective, rather than getting all philosophical about why we'd never hear from most of those civilizations. So here we go. If there are 500 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy and 1.1x10^4 broadcasting civilizations, then we would expect one civilization for every 4.5x10^7 stars, or about 45 million stars. We get that by dividing 500 billion (or 5x10^11) stars by 1.1x10^4 civilizations. This assumes that most solar systems that support intelligent, broadcasting civilizations have only one. This also assumes that all of those civilizations have a clear line of sight for their broadcasts to reach us, and have been broadcasting for long enough (tens or hundreds of thousands of years for some stars on the other side of our galaxy) that their signal has had time to get here. In other words, even if there are 11,000 broadcasting civilizations out there, we'd never hear from most of them if they're evenly distributed around the galaxy. If there are only 120 civilizations instead of 11,000, the issue becomes a bit more dire. Now we have 5x10^11 stars divided by 120 civilizations, which gives about 4.2x10^9 stars per civilization. This would be the proverbial needle in a haystack. Good luck!
Consider a civilization broadcasting a signal with a power of 1.2×104 watts. The Arecibo radio telescope, whic?
If the signal was detected at Arecibo, for the same sigal strength the diameter has to be ' d '. Considering the dish area (squares) (d / 300)² = (70000 / 110)² ... by inverse square law d = 300 X 70000 /110 = 190909.09 m = 190.909 km
Consider a civilization broadcasting a signal with a power of 1.0×104 watts. The Arecibo radio telescope, whic?
Consider a civilization broadcasting a signal with a power of 1.0×104 watts. The Arecibo radio telescope, which is about 300 meters in diameter, could detect this signal if it is coming from as far away as 100 light-years. Suppose instead that the signal is being broadcast from the other side of the Milky Way Galaxy, about 70000 light-years away. How large a radio telescope would we need to detect this signal? (Hint: Use the inverse square law for light.) 200,000 is what I came up with, but it's incorrect. Please help!
Suppose there are 1.1×104 civilizations broadcasting radio signals in the Milky Way Galaxy right now.?
Part A: On average, how many stars would we have to search before we would expect to hear a signal? Assume there are 500 billion stars in the galaxy. Part B: How does your answer change if there are only 100 civilizations instead of 1.1×104?
Consider a civilization broadcasting a signal with a power of 2.0×104 watts. The Arecibo radio telescope, whic?
Consider a civilization broadcasting a signal with a power of 2.0×104 watts. The Arecibo radio telescope, which is about 300 meters in diameter, could detect this signal if it is coming from as far away as 141 light-years. Suppose instead that the signal is being broadcast from the other side of the Milky Way Galaxy, about 70000 light-years away How large a radio telescope would we need to detect this signal? (Hint: Use the inverse square law for light.)
Consider a civilization broadcasting a signal with a power of 1.1×104 watts. The Arecibo radio telescope, whic?
The signal would be 1/444,444 (105/70,000)^2 as strong so the Arecibo antenna would have to have be 444,444 times bigger. The new diameter would have to be 666.667 times bigger or 200,000 meters in diameter.
If humanity discovered an alien civilization today and could reach it, what would be our approach: colonizing as the Europeans when they arrived in America, or some other?
Given how history has gone, we would probably be extremely aware of how bad that is, and try our hardest not to colonize. But, we’d probably end up colonizing to an extent anyways. This is, of course, assuming they were less technologically advanced. If they were more, we might have to worry about them colonizing us!I do not agree with star trek’s rule of not interfering with life that isn’t capable of space travel, I think interaction with a more technologically advanced people can greatly benefit a planet- IF it is done responsibly. We can look at human history for examples of this going horribly wrong: when Europeans introduced guns to Western Africa, it destabilized the region, causing huge wars and massive numbers of slaves, allowing for the American slave trade to happen. Closer to modern times, in the last few decades, we’ve made contact with several island tribes, mostly by people seeking to convert them. They were shown the wonders of modern technology- and then abandoned. Now they’re poverty-stricken, with more starvation and disease than when they were in the Stone Age. They ditch their pride to appease tourists and feed their addictions.With society as it is today, I do not think that we are socially evolved enough to make contact with a less advanced people. Clearly we fuck it up. But I don’t think we could resist keeping our greasy little mitts off of a whole new planet, life-supporting, with a people that probably have barely tapped the planet’s resources because they lack the tech to do so. And just think of how much money could be made in tourism! I’m very much remembering how Europeans bought manhattan with some glass beads. If we were responsible, and considered the well-being of them first, we could introduce technology in a way that wouldn’t destroy their lives, and better their lives for it. But we’re simply not that mature.It would probably be colonized mainly by companies that would start a serfdom, and claim to other humans that it’s not colonization, because their bettering their workers’ lives with steady food and medical care. Maybe we’ll fall into the same trap that we did with American slavery, that these poor savages don’t know about Jesus, and so really the Christian thing to do would be to buy them and teach them the righteous path (the other main reason American slavery could exist). Only instead of Jesus it’s technology. Enslaving under the guise of helping, is what would probably happen.
What if the Earth received a hostile alien signal from 20 light years away, warning us: "Either leave the planet to us, or be exterminated. We will arrive in 150 years from when you receive this message" - what would our response be?
“Grand Master Opplex! We have sent the humans our demands!”“Excellent! And their reaction?”“As you predicted, they are putting aside nationalistic differences, uniting their tribes, and preparing to fight.”“Wonderful! And the Smidge will reach their system at the allotted time?”“Oh yes. We’ve been laying protein markers for hundreds of the human’s solar orbits. At predicted rates of expansion, their scout ships should arrive in one hundred and twenty solar cycles. By that time, the humans should have a worth while industrial and military complex in space. Of course the Smidge should catch them right when their at a critical point in their preparations.”“Perfect! The humans will face the initial wave. Likely overcome it, and then face the full organism mass.”“And that’s when we will arrive, offer our sympathy, and allow them to become vassals of the Empire.”“Alliance. Humans have allergies to Empires that are not their own.”“Oh, forgive my neurochemical mishaps, Grand Master. But what happens if the humans reject our offer?”��We let the Smidge chew on them till they’re down to a more manageable population which will accept our offer. If they fall back to tribal ideologies, we will simply conquer them for their own good.”“And if they overcome the Smidge?”“Ha! It’s a super organism we created and control. It will pour more mass into the Sol system until the humans capitulate or are overwhelmed. Likely the humans may even invent some intriguing technology in their war effort. They are at their most creative when guiltlessly killing things.”“And if the humans develop too quickly?”“We have agents in place for that, yes?”“Ah yes, the so called: ‘Flat Earthers’. ‘Anti-Vaxxers’. ‘Sovcits’. They have been astonishingly successful, Grand Master. I rather thought they’d be mocked to death.”“Eventually they will be, and we will replace them with other irritants. We want to humans to become useful, not dangerous.”“But Grand Master Opplex. What happens if the humans learn about this?”“Yes. That can not be allowed to happen.”“Grand Master?”“I fear I have neurotided too much. Apologies.”“No! Grand Ma-” SCHLOOP! CRUNCH! Chew. Gulp. Pop!“You budded me, Grand Master?”“Yes. I need you to keep appraised on the human situation. I fear the Smidge might be on their way.”“You are too benevolent, Grand Master Opplex.”“Yes, I am.”