That were probably the shortest 70 min. in a long time. It's thrilling to listen to Prof. Seager here from a distance of a decade, with everything that has happened since. Excellent presentation, and a smart audience, too.
I'm not sure if the exoplanet searches are self-selecting or what, but so far what they are finding seems to render our solar system aberrant, or at least unusual. Volatile planets are being found less than 1 A.U. from stars? What is that all about? How are volatile planets mixed up with rocky planets? This makes me think life is rare b/c the solar system arrangement is ideal for creating a very stable environment on Earth. But these exoplanets would not be stable at all, right?
I think it was a very interesting talk, thank you! 40 years means it's somewhat in reach. It would only be feasible I think if you could comatose or cryostatis the passengers for they would go nuts. It's interesting to think that there could be a company out there pioneering this type of statis technology. Even if we doubled that speed it would be 20 years. Imagine then, after 20 years we'd have to wait another 4 years to find out what they see, and another 4 years for them to hear our reaction.
The earth might be completely different without the moon, has this been factored in in the search for earth-like planets? Had made my comment before the question part which 'answered' my concern.
Brandon Osborn Tks, that link explains some of the reasons I asked but this link was also exactly what I was looking for because I'm trying to investigate/guess how life might have began.
Gas planets/giants (like Jupiter, Saturn, etc) are much larger than solid/rocky planets & moons. (like Earth, Mars, Europa, etc) I wonder what (if any) the theoretical size limit is for solid/rocky planets? Surely a solid planet could not be the size of a star like our sun, yes? If a planet were that large, wouldn't it's size & mass cause it to be molten, or even to initiate some forms of nuclear fusion? (like in our sun)
I think that would depend heavily on the elemental composition of the planet, but there probably is some sort of rough theoretical limit in relation to composition.
im making a video message for you but don't know how to transmit it in your satellite.. i'm on the idea girl says youtube channel where i've been decoding a message from the mayas.. i've pinpointed a thing that could be a space ship or planet out in the same area as your signal but in the pegasus region i don't know what i'm looking at.. i've marked it in google sky but i'll video tape it for you to look at i want you to send a signal to this area for me if you can to see if anything happens.
If you happened by changed on this video and see anything of it, I would strongly recommend the 5-8 second footage beginning at 11:23 Just awesome! They fucking have the moon transiting the earth!
Regarding Chapter two, I think any alien looking at our system from 5 or more lightyears away, would more or less just see a hugh glob of floating rock. The Oort cloud would obscure much passive observation from those distances, and just leave an impression of having a star inside it. Details like the planets, I think, would be pretty much lost in the jumble. Besides, and beyond that, I don't think at all that the question of what aliens would see looking at earth was answered. One picture from close proximity, and one picture from a voyager-mission on it's way to mars, thats what our eyes saw, when we looked at earth. For aliens to see that too, they at least would need to be in those same spots. Within the system. The aliens portrayed in the question are not. They are sitting on their home planet, looking at earth trough telescopes of various sorts. I don't know what they would then see, but I think, I know that it would certainly not be what the answer in the video tries to make it out. Again, the answer is a celebration of human ingenuity, but it is not what aliens would see.
WormholeJim I emphatically disagree (but politely) with your assumption about ET. It's why I've come to the dismal conclusion that we are alone. Or rather, other civilizations have not sent signals in the time frame required for us to receive it (if indeed their psychology led them to such an effort). Considering our rate of technological progress, a civilization 100 (or 1,000 or 1,000,000) years advanced would have surveying methods beyond our imagination. They could promulgate the galaxy with listening posts to pick up signs of intelligent. They could place markers for a scientific society on every planet possible for life. There are so many things they could have done (and didn't) that the odds that advanced beings have not become machines or gone extinct are very low.
smb123211 I do get your point, if I'm accused of anthropomorphizing a little in my previous comment. It's been awhile since I made it, but I remember being in a sarcastic mood, namely because of the antropomorphized answer that Sara Seager gives to that first question "what would aliens see looking at earth" She's basically saying what WE sees. But that's only a small part of it. For instance, I really do think that the Oort cloud acts to obscure passive detection by means resembling ours, and so aliens would 'need' a presence relatively near to, or within the system in order to observe things like atmospheric contents of any planets. Further more, I actually hands down agree that when it comes to aliens anything is possible and when not much then is going on, that could mean theres only very little intellignt life evolving past the risk of selfdestruction. But that sentiment too is anthropomorfic, because it bases itself on human intelligence evolving past, present and around-the-next-corner future. How can it be any different when we know of no other intelligent beings beyond ourselves - or recognize the intelligence of no other species, maybe more accurately. Consider Lovelocke's gaia-theory that paints a Picture of the entire planet as a single, living system that displays intelligent problem-solving, but lacks awareness. If ants could go into space, just doing what they do, then - with Fermi's paradox in mind - they would have colonized the galaxy within a 200 million year period, for more than one billion years ago - and who's to say if the ant-colony as a unit isn't capable of rudimentary intelligence, and can be seen as such. Anyway, the video being the video, and my comment accordingly, there are so many great theories concerning alien life that I don't know what to think sometimes. So I've chosen to let me be thrilled by them, and even theorizing onwards and trying to link different theories with eachother to see if anything would fit, just for sports and sheer marvel of a good, wellspun tale. Seriously considered I think we should have a long, hard look inwards, at earth itself. A study-look to find out about life evolving. One thing I noticed about human nature in comparison with nature is, that all our conflicts and wars down through our history is closely matched by natural history of evolution. It's very much in our genes; we simply know of no living organism in this whole ecosphere and it's entire history, that doesn't make it's living off of something else dying. So, regarding aliens, I think Stephen Hawkings' idea that maybe we shouldn't be so indescreet with what and how we broadcast our presence, could have something to it. Reflecting upon life-as-we-know-it, now it's modus operandi in focus.
WormholeJim Thanks. Despite the common assumption that aliens will be friendly ETs the reality is that they were once as helpless as we are. Our lack of physical protection - fangs, stingers, wings, speed, armor, poison, claws, strength -made us a social anima with symbolic thinking and communication. Matter cannot be examined / tested on Jupiter or Mercury. The ability to use fire, the cornerstone of research, is vitally important as is the use of the carbon atom.
Not sure about the Oort cloud's density.. neither if it is aligned with the planets' orbits planes. And even if the Oort cloud is on the way of view from outside the Solar system - it is probably not as opaque as you think it is. And I am almost sure the density is relatively smooth and equal throughout, which means you can ignore the measures' flukes with definitive certainty. Also if the cloud was so opaque - the you wouldn't see much if you look from Earth->outwards. Which is not the case. Just my uneducated guess. EDIT: To give you some idea - Our Sun have 99.8% of the whole Solar system's mass. Jupiter have the other 90% from the 0.2 left. The rest 10% of the whole 0.2 is the other 7(8) planets AND the Oort cloud, which have insane diameter. In my 5 seconds calculation - it is completely to be ignored.
Perhaps aliens could get to Earth in a space craft that they lived in as a civilization. That way they could use multiple generations and live there lives there comfortably so how long it took would not be a problem.
Yeah, sorry, was just getting over a bad flu - The irony is I wasn't even at the right lecture - I was supposed to go see a lecture on the life of Andy Kaufman, but I could hardly just leave mid lecture.
Go now, don't look back, we've drawn the line. Move on, it's no good to go back in time. I'll never find another girl like you, for happy endings it takes two. We're fire and ice, the dream won't come true. Sara, Sara, storms are brewin' in your eyes. Sara, Sara, no time is a good time for goodbyes. Danger in the game when the stakes are high. Branded, my heart was branded while my senses stood by. I'll never find another girl like you, for happy endings it takes two We're fire and ice, the dream won't come true Sara, Sara, storms are brewin' in your eyes. Sara, Sara, no time is a good time, oh Sara, Sara, storms are brewin' in your eyes Sara, Sara, no time is a good time for goodbyes ('cause Sara) Loved me like no one has ever loved me before (And Sara) Hurt me, no one could ever hurt me more (And Sara) Sara, nobody loved me anymore. I'll never find another girl like you. We're fire and ice, the dream won't come true. Sara, Sara, no time is a good time, oh Sara, Sara, storms are brewin' in your eyes. Sara, Sara, no time is a good time, no. Ooh Sara, why did it, why did it, why did it all fall apart.
If evolution on their planet between first one celled life and intelligent life occored even 0.1 % faster or slower. They might be a million years more evolved or less evolved then us. A million years more advanced ( evolved ) then us they could be God like. If that's the case why would they wan't to talk to us.
I get so tired of astrophysicists having to stop and explain, again, what black holes and habitable zones are. Anyone who lacks the knowledge of those terms probably does not, and should not be, watching science videos. In the meantime, please, save the explanations for people who need them (ie 3 year olds) in videos dedicated to science noobs. Science noobs do not watch university lectures by PhD's.
We find planets but even the closest one at speeds we can achieve would take 73000 years away. Why bother if you cant get there in a lifetime, its too far. This is a total waste of time and money.
Its not saying its good or bad but we havent anything to deal with NEOs. This will be a extinction event involving near earth asteroids and its not if, its when. Thats a pressing issue because there is nothing in place to confirm orbits and track them and manipulate them. All this scope time to find other worlds that are so far way we couldnt get there in a lifetime if ever. The same astronomers ignore asteroids as pests on their observations. The absolute closest star is 73,000 years away one way. In 40 years the fastest spacecraft mariner 1 an 2 hasnt gone a light year yet. They aren almost 12 AUs from earth still way short of a light year.
