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We could detect the active biosphere of Earth from much further away with faster surveys. If we ever discovered an exoplanet like that you can be certain the p
by willis936 2y ago
We could detect the active biosphere of Earth from much further away with faster surveys. If we ever discovered an exoplanet like that you can be certain the phone would be ringing off the hook.
Sure, that says nothing of technological advancement, but biosphere signatures are roughly a prerequisite for technological advancement.
- TeMPOraL 2y agoTo expand on it, I believe we could detect signs of possible biosphere by finding oxygen in the spectral lines of the planet's image. The idea being, free oxygen is highly reactive, and thus can exist in the atmosphere only for brief periods before oxidizing the first thing it bumps into. So, should we find a planet with lots of free oxygen in the air, we either got improbably lucky to catch it before it's gone, or... there is some process on the planet that's actively replenishing it. On Earth, that process is the biosphere.
- Buttons840 2y agoCan we detect the biosphere of any planet, or only those that pass in front of a star? I'm wondering if we could detect radio transmissions from a planet which we otherwise couldn't detect?