While many telescopes in Earth seek signs of alien life in galaxies far, far away, a SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) researcher has taken an intriguing approach to this medium.
He questioned whether our buildings and lights are visible to advanced alien civilizations. An interesting question to ask, right?
Published in the magazine Acta Astronauticathe study explores the possibility of being observed by beings from beyond the stars.
Are our buildings visible to aliens?
Researcher ZN Osmanov, motivated by his assumption that extraterrestrial civilizations can exist and observe us, based his study on the universality of laws of physics.
By considering that such laws are correct and universally applicable, he established limitations on the visibility of our constructions.
Study investigates the possibility of aliens seeing human constructions – Image: Freepik/Reproduction
According to Osmanov, the detection of our constructions would be possible at a maximum distance of approximately 3 thousand light years.
Under certain conditions, advanced Type II alien societies, capable of harnessing the full energy of a star, would have the ability to observe us.
An essential condition for a alien civilization to see us is that our constructions will already be standing when the light emitted by them reaches the cosmic destination of the observing civilization.
This establishes a maximum visibility distance for any alien society.
For example, if our buildings were built around three thousand years ago, alien civilizations would need to be within a spectrum of three thousand light years to observe them.
This limitation suggests that currently only 650 nearby alien civilizations could detect our current structures.
Exploring history with extraterrestrial telescopes
To substantiate his conclusions, Osmanov explored the capabilities of Type I and Type II civilizations, according to the Kardashev scale.
Type I civilizations, which dominate all the energy on their planet, would not have technology to build telescopes capable of observing us.
On the other hand, Type II civilizations, capable of harnessing the energy of a star, could possess the technology to observe us from significant distances.
The study highlights that while Type II societies may be able to see us, they are rarer, limiting the potential number of extraterrestrial observers.
We would only be visible to those that are relatively nearby, adding a layer of complexity to the search for signs of life beyond Earth.
Osmanov proposes that if there are millions of Type II civilizations in Milky Waywe would have to filter out those a few thousand light years from Earth to be potential observers.
In this scenario, these civilizations could now direct their powerful telescopes towards Earth, witnessing historical events such as the construction of the first pyramids in Egypt.
The study, although speculative, adds a new dimension to the search for extraterrestrial life, considering not only the emission of signals, but also the possibility of us being visible through our own creations.
The alien view of our civilization, if it exists, remains a fascinating enigma in the vast cosmos.
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