SETI and the Encounter with Aliens
- evolveremh
- Sep 6, 2021
- 2 min read
SETI a.k.a. Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence is a non-profit American research organization established in 1984, wholly dedicated to searching for extraterrestrial life in the universe. It focuses on receiving and analyzing signals from space, particularly in the radio and visible light regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
A mysterious radio signal that seemed to have come from the nearest star to the sun- Proxima Centauri was reported in spring 2019 which was SETI’s first bona fide candidate signal. It was detected by the Parkes telescope in Australia and hasn’t been seen since.
If we receive signals perceived to be sent from aliens to earthlings, what happens next? Dr. John Elliot, joint coordinator of SETI says that once they are largely sure that an intercepted signal is an extraterrestrial message, they will share it openly to allow people all over the world to interpret it. With this protocol, it will be hard to stop anyone from answering the message. “I would have thought that there would be a reply made in some form at some point round the globe by someone with the required equipment”, he says.
According to SETI, aliens are presumed to work within the laws of physics. To reach earth even using a craft from a nearby planet travelling directly towards Earth at half of light speed would take 2000 years to get here. Thus, an alien invasion isn't anticipated anytime soon. The trouble of extraterrestrial communication is that receiving alien signals would take years and sending replies will take another hundreds of years.
" An alien invasion isn't anticipated anytime soon. The trouble of extraterrestrial communication is that receiving alien signals would take years and sending replies will take another hundreds of years."
In 2019, a leaked Navy video on NBC news showed an unidentified
spherical object flying low, skimming the ocean surface and disappearing underwater. In February 2021, in Ludhiana, Punjab, people noticed an illuminated object blazing through the night sky. It was oval-shaped with burning lights on both sides. Some suggested it was UFO {Unidentified Flying Object} while other skeptical individuals suggested it was a meteor. These incidents naturally sparked curiosity. Several branches of the U.S government have been investigating the events but still there’s no proof of extraterrestrial activity but the incidents remain unexplained.
Attempting to communicate with extraterrestrials, if they do exist, could be extremely dangerous for humans. That’s because any aliens we encounter in any form will likely be far more technologically advanced than we are. This is because most other galaxies are significantly older than ours.
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