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If - and it’s a HUGE if - it’s actually a technological signal - would be cool if it was a Contact-like repeater probe designed to eventually get our attention.

If - and it’s a HUGE if - it’s actually a technological signal - would be cool if it was a Contact-like repeater probe designed to eventually get our attention. Because the Proxima Centauri neighborhood doesn’t really seem like it can harbor life for long enough to evolve to at least the level of radio communication.

stevenhuang 6y ago
On what basis do you make that assertion? We don't know much about the system.
- dvh 6y ago
  Proxima is flare star, massive stellar winds would outstrip any atmosphere, habitable zone is on approximately 11d orbital period, more x-rays than sun, etc...
  - bassman9000 6y ago
    Wouldn't that destroy any RF-capable probe?
    - b34r 6y ago
      Not a shielded one
  - weare138 6y ago
    Something I always thought about is if there was advanced civilizations elsewhere in the universe colonizing planets they would probably build their settlements/bases underground or possibly even under water to protect them from cosmological threats like meteors, comets, solar flares/radiation, etc. akin to our nuclear bases like Cheyenne Mountain.
    - avaldeso 6y ago
      If they're so advanced why build colonies in extremely dangerous environments? There's a lot of better places out there
      - selestify 6y ago
        Why not? Life on earth, including human life, has a tendency to sneak into every nook and cranny. On earth, much of it as I understand is because the “good land” may already be occupied by others, and (initially) less competition in a new place may make it overall less inhospitable than surviving in a fertile but competitive land. After initial generations settle there, future generations will often stay in their native homelands by default unless driven out by other factors. Of course, this is just reasons for settling around Earth itself; who knows what drives the motivations of alien species?
      - weare138 6y ago
        I think you'd be at risk of things like meteors, comets and solar flares no matter what planet you chose. Plus they would need to acquire natural resources, it would make sense to acquire them from uninhabitable planets rather then waste good real estate.
  - garmaine 6y ago
    But it’s tidally locked, so life near the terminus (but just over the horizon) could feed of the energy of the star while being shielded by the planet itself. Kinda like hydrothermal vents.
interfixus 6y ago
Would of course be an obvious location for our erstwhile cosmic mentors to place their easter egg monolith. They may know in only four years that we found it. Alternatively, if we really are hearing native Proxomitrons, that'll be the clearest cue imaginable that life is abundant absolutely everywhere. Please let it not be some unshielded box of cheap electronics in the observatory basement.
- BruceEel 6y ago
  That monolith vs Proxomitrons bit would be an interesting and important distinction to make, if it does turn out to be extraterrestrial and unequivocally technological it wouldn't necessarily count as evidence that intelligent life has evolved over there... only that something/someone technological is about. But yeah, unshielded electronics until proven otherwise.

stevenhuang 6y ago

On what basis do you make that assertion? We don't know much about the system.

dvh 6y ago
Proxima is flare star, massive stellar winds would outstrip any atmosphere, habitable zone is on approximately 11d orbital period, more x-rays than sun, etc...
- bassman9000 6y ago
  Wouldn't that destroy any RF-capable probe?
  - b34r 6y ago
    Not a shielded one
- weare138 6y ago
  Something I always thought about is if there was advanced civilizations elsewhere in the universe colonizing planets they would probably build their settlements/bases underground or possibly even under water to protect them from cosmological threats like meteors, comets, solar flares/radiation, etc. akin to our nuclear bases like Cheyenne Mountain.
  - avaldeso 6y ago
    If they're so advanced why build colonies in extremely dangerous environments? There's a lot of better places out there
    - selestify 6y ago
      Why not? Life on earth, including human life, has a tendency to sneak into every nook and cranny. On earth, much of it as I understand is because the “good land” may already be occupied by others, and (initially) less competition in a new place may make it overall less inhospitable than surviving in a fertile but competitive land. After initial generations settle there, future generations will often stay in their native homelands by default unless driven out by other factors. Of course, this is just reasons for settling around Earth itself; who knows what drives the motivations of alien species?
    - weare138 6y ago
      I think you'd be at risk of things like meteors, comets and solar flares no matter what planet you chose. Plus they would need to acquire natural resources, it would make sense to acquire them from uninhabitable planets rather then waste good real estate.
- garmaine 6y ago
  But it’s tidally locked, so life near the terminus (but just over the horizon) could feed of the energy of the star while being shielded by the planet itself. Kinda like hydrothermal vents.

interfixus 6y ago

Would of course be an obvious location for our erstwhile cosmic mentors to place their easter egg monolith. They may know in only four years that we found it. Alternatively, if we really are hearing native Proxomitrons, that'll be the clearest cue imaginable that life is abundant absolutely everywhere. Please let it not be some unshielded box of cheap electronics in the observatory basement.

BruceEel 6y ago
That monolith vs Proxomitrons bit would be an interesting and important distinction to make, if it does turn out to be extraterrestrial and unequivocally technological it wouldn't necessarily count as evidence that intelligent life has evolved over there... only that something/someone technological is about. But yeah, unshielded electronics until proven otherwise.