3 ms·
Apparently, if an identical radio-Earth existed somewhere, current SETI hardware could detect it at about 1000 ly distance. Within 1K ly there are a few million
by iwwr 14y ago
Apparently, if an identical radio-Earth existed somewhere, current SETI hardware could detect it at about 1000 ly distance. Within 1K ly there are a few million stars, and an exhaustive search of that space could be done in a decade or two (assuming a reasonable expansion of computing power). We are far from exhausting our own neighborhood, let alone the galaxy (100K ly) or farther-away places (Andromeda is 2.5mil ly distant).
Edit: it may be reasonable to assume that a civilization's radio footprint does not expand much from our current level, since point-to-point optical (or higher) communication has vastly better bandwidth options. Even on our Earth, the vast quantity of information flows through ground-based wires rather than wirelessly.
- twoodfin 14y agoApparently, if an identical radio-Earth existed somewhere, current SETI hardware could detect it at about 1000 ly distance. What's the rationalization for this? Is our radio footprint really so powerful as to not be drowned out by 1000 ly worth of background radiation?
- pavel_lishin 14y agoI think it depends on the wavelength, doesn't it? I can see a pie in the oven, despite all of the infrared background radiation surrounding it.
- gwern 14y agohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterhole_%28radio%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterhole_%28radio%29
- knowaveragejoe 14y agoWell, if the identical radio-earth started transmitting 1000 years ago, they could...