3 ms·
> Are they exactly at our level of development? If so, then at just 12ly away, we could converse with them within (many of) our lifetimes.
by inetknght 7y ago
> Are they exactly at our level of development?
If so, then at just 12ly away, we could converse with them within (many of) our lifetimes.
- entropea 7y agoWhat are the chances that would've already happened given how long we've been sending life made RF off the planet? A 24 year exchange isn't awful.
- CondensedBrain 7y ago12 light years is a long way for a signal to go without attenuating into noise.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- matt-attack 7y agoWhat about things like LIGO? It can detect changes in length corresponding to 1/10,000th the width of a proton. Surely communicating over RF with another planet should be within our reach, no?
- JackFr 7y agoCould we? Despite stellar levels of energy being emitted, this star itself was only detected in 2003. We have to use the Deep Space Network to communicate with probes light-hours away. I'm no expert so it very well may be possible, but 12 LY is still Very far.
- 0xffff2 7y agoIt wouldn't be possible to send a message literally today, using existing structures. If we had a reason to, we could certainly develop and build new systems that could bridge the distance. The main key difference is that the send/receive ends would be symmetric. DSN has to counterbalance the incredibly small size and power limits on the other end of its connections.
- koheripbal 7y agoThe odds of that are effectively zero. Over a multi-billion year development line, being within 100 years of one-another is effectively impossible. They are either unevolved animals, or have already merged into the Great AI or whatever happens when intelligent species evolve.